The most influential artist of Rock n' Roll?
It IS Chuck Berry.
No doubt about it. He "practically" invented it. I know he didn't literally, but, he was rock and roll.
"Rock's so good to me. Rock is my child and my grandfather." ~ Chuck Berry
It was he who found the "perfect fusion of country and blues" (Yes, COUNTRY! AHHHH!!!
*likes a lil country*) that you could dance to!. Ok, so you may be asking yourself, "If he is so important to rock and roll, why the hell isn't he worshiped like a god by the masses like The Beatles, or (eww...) Elvis?" That would be, because most people don't care to listen to post -'50s rock. That and, Chuck never really developed his music beyond his early style, a style which is no longer explicitly influential in contemporary music today.
Though, he has influenced a sh*t load of people. Heres a few quotes about the guy:
"If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it Chuck Berry" ~ John Lennon
"If you wanted to play rock and roll you would end up playing like Chuck, or what you learned from Chuck, because there isn't any other choice. He's really laid the law down." ~ Eric Clapton
"There's only one true king of rock n' roll. His name is Chuck Berry." ~ Stevie Wonder
"Berry's On Top is probably my favorite record of all time; it defines rock and roll. A lot of people have done Chuck Berry songs, but to get that feel is really hard. It's the rock and roll thing--the push-pull and the rhythm of it." ~ Joe Perry of Aerosmith
And The Rolling Stones literally founded their style on his. When Keith Richards inducted Chuck into the Hall of Fame, he said, "It's hard for me to induct Chuck Berry, because I lifted every lick he ever played!"