Eric Clapton with Cream was the inspiration that got me hooked for life as a guitar player.

That does not mean that I have spent my life doting on every note he plays or that I try to emulate his sound. He has played a lot since then that I am indifferent to, a lot where he seems to be a parody of himself, although with time the parody has become slicker than the historical him!
I am disappointed in his limited musical growth, in that he rarely creates a furrow in different soil.

When I am asked to profile my favourite music/musicians, I invariably quote myself and those I am playing with. This has nothing to do with being big-headed. It results from me having my own distinct sound and style which has evolved because I am incapable, probably both physically and psychologically, of convincingly imitating anyone else. Any such attempts end up being how I hear music and solve problems when I play, therefore unlike the source. It ends up being the music that I like, sounding how I like to hear it.

It is important for any creative musician to be the first them and not the next whoever.
In rock/pop music entrepeneurs are almost invariably disinterested in the copy cats,after all the originals already exist and probably do themselves better than the imitations.
It is ironic that jazz is meant to be creative and expressive, yet jazz guitarists (and singers!) are often so over-educated within their genre and their instruments, repertoire, and theoretical and technical knowledge are so close to identical that their "self expression" in reality sounds like "clone expression".

Genuine inspiration where the muses channel through you seems to be a reward for those who are willing to solve their own problems and dare to be different.
Twelve (but not the only twelve) distinctive, original and inspired musicians and bands:

Beethoven
Bob Dylan
Les Paul
Matt Taylor
Chet Atkins
Cream
Jeff Beck
Kris Kristofferson
Gene Pitney
Skip James
Antonio Carlos Jobim

and one other.....