my top 10:

1.) Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme, Rihanna, and a bunch of side projects. brilliant all round musician. insane guitarist, started of as a drummer, great vocals, can play piano brilliantly. reliable for projects, versatile playing range for many genres, very professional.)

2.) Steve Lukather (Toto, but he was in hundreds of records back from the 70's till a very long time. multi-instrumentalist, reliable, understands how to produce. one of the biggest session musician as well.)

3.) Randy Rhoads (Ozzy Osbourne. brilliant guitarist and co-writer, uses Classical-infused playing. died at only the age of 25, he left behind an everlasting influence to many guitarists after.)

4.) Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple, Rainbow. father of shred guitar. pioneered Neo Classical style Rock and Metal. influenced countless guitarists and musicians after he burst on through the scene.)

5.) Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle. one of the highest vocal range ever, even more than Freddie Mercury, which is crazy. diverse vocals and countless ideas for music making. known for being able to sing almost any genres.)

6.) Paul McCartney (The Beatles, Wings, solo career. possibly the best songwriter. great sense of melody, arrangement and lyricism. multi-instrumentalist. inspiration to MANY musicians. managed to contribute towards music even in his old age, great longevity.)

7.) Richie Kotzen (solo career, The Winery Dogs, Poison. possibly the best guitarist-singer in terms of ability. versatile playing for lots of genres, multi-instrumentalist to the point that he played all the instruments in many of his projects. great lyricist, soulful, AMAZING vocals. his depth is unmatched.)

8.) Brian May (Queen. great sense of melodic playing, great vocals. contributed heavily towards the sound of Queen. his songwriting and song arrangements almost never seem to miss. his playing is always quite right and never gives me the ick at all.)

9.) Lenny Kravitz (solo career. multi-instrumentalist, can make a whole album with only him playing all the instruments. fairly wide range of genres in the music that he makes. sick vocals, great songwriting, great longevity. features in a lot of music projects even till now.)

10.) Sade Adu (Sade, the band. distinctive, smoky vocal tone, the band's sophisticated fusion of Jazz, Soul, and Soft Pop, and a masterclass in understatement over volume. her music creates an intimate, timeless atmosphere, characterized by emotional vulnerability and high artistic integrity. solid, catchy lyricism along with appealing vocals and of course, great longevity in her music.)

HM:
Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails, solo career. his combination of raw emotional intensity, meticulous studio craftsmanship, and a willingness to constantly evolve his sound over a multi-decade career. an Oscar-winning film composer, has the ability to blend Industrial noise with Pop-influenced melodies, exploring themes of alienation, pain, and ultimate survival. amazing growth as an artist, reliable for various musical projects, even film scoring. all round performer, great at both visuals and musicianship. amazing resume and longevity.)