Definitely the Stones, their blues based sound has always been electrifying as are the Jagger performances. I also love his harmonica playing on songs like the Midnight Rambler (the one who shut the kitchen door).
I think their song Gimme Shelter is perhaps the greatest rock/pop song/anthem of all time. Keith wrote it during a thunderstorm and he seems to capture the energy outside of the window. Its so hypnotic and the chord progressions are brilliant. The lyrics are as poignant today as they were 50 years ago when the song was written--perhaps even more so. Jumping Jack Flash is another song that just seems to lift off and soar to places that other songwriters could only dream of.
Fogerty is also a brilliant song writer and player. I have seen him 3 times, including when we were in Memphis in 2015 and he puts on a show that is just as exciting now as it was back in the 1960's. When you seem him on stage he could pass for a guy of 30, no problem --and like McCartney he wants to go for 3 hours+
I always liked Cash as well as long as Ruth didn't start her caterwauling. His songwriting skills were basic but still compelling. I always liked his social conscience but the man in black theme could be overused at times.
Another blues based rock band (from that time period) are called the Animals and are worth a listen for those who are interested.
If you want to explore the origins of these blues based riffs then you can check out Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf. They both have great box sets which you can spend weeks listening to.
Howling Wolf was an electrifying stage performer long before the world had heard of James Brown/Mick Jagger/Tina Turner etc. These other artists stole many of his moves onstage. Like so many of those great black artists he never got his fair share of the credit until the British Invasion guys covered his songs.
