SRV would also be in my top 5, he got his licks from Freddy King, Jerry Reed, Albert King. He took that stuf and put some serious attitude on it. I am in a never ending search for THAT tone . . .
Jimi Hendrix is in my top 5 also, man there ain't never been a better R&B rhythm player than Jimi when he was with Little Richards band. No one shook the music world like Jimmi. When he came on the US scene at Monterey Pop in '67 it was like Aliens landing on the White House lawn in 1953's "The Day The Earth Stood Still". Just check out the pop musical landscape for 1967, then contrast it with numbers like "Foxey Lady', "Hey Joe", "The Wind Cries Mary", and "Purple Haze" . . all got their American debut at Monterey in 1967.
Also, his Woodstock rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" is a cultural touchstone for an entire generation . . . Check it out . . I get goosebumps everytime I see it . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4AU7oK-xMQ
Peace, out \/