Just because you are not known in the annals of Billboard Magazine does not mean that you are not well known to the world of musicians.  Should an informal poll of successful musicians as to which band has the most respect the Meters would be a serious contender to top that list.

Generally, if you help define a Rock genre, it would be expected that you would have a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Johnny Burnette and the Rock and Roll Trio receive credit for being the top Rockabilly bands, but they received much of that credit long after they recorded.

As we look over our list we are a little overwhelmed with the amount of bands that flew the Punk label. Of course when looking at the Stranglers we are not sure what genre they were officially labeled as they seem to effortlessly shift between many musical styles.

Considered by some to be the most successful band to wear the Glam Rock label, a further look at The Sweet would see a band that went through different style changes and were precursors to genres that would come after.