The Beatles

There is no doubting the influence, legacy, or success of The Beatles. It is immense, and impossible to fully describe. This makes them a painfully obvious choice. They led the British invasion of the sixties. They introduced the concept of songs designed to segue into the next. Three of their albums went diamond along with two compilations. The band as well as all four members individually have received stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. They received numerous awards including Oscars and Grammys. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr both received knighthood. The group was appropriately inducted their first year of eligibility. They were inducted by Mick Jagger of their archrivals The Rolling Stones. The Beatles were noted for their bowl cuts, considered rugged for their time. The group experimented with many different styles over their seven year run, pioneering them along the way. McCartney went on to have a very successful solo career, ultimately making him the first to be inducted a second time. All four have since been inducted both as members of the Beatles and as solo artists, with Ringo receiving the "Award for Musical Excellence" rather than being inducted as a performer. The Beatles helped make The Ed Sullivan Show iconic. They have been successfully covered by numerous artists including blue-eyed soul musician Joe Cocker. George Harrison introduced them to East Indian culture, which allowed them to pioneer a form of psychedelic rock known as "raga rock". Helter Skelter is considered important in the creation of metal. An episode of The Powerpuff Girls was based around their music. John Lennon was the first to be inducted as a solo artist. Jam band Soulive did a tribute album titled Rubber Soulive, named after the album Rubber Soul and using a similar artwork. It features instrumental covers. One famous concert is when they played at Shea Stadium in New York, home of the Mets. They influenced the Soundgarden song Black Hole Sun. They were parodied by Weird Al Yankovic. The band The Monkees was created as a parody of them.

note
There is no "recommended songs" list here because I found it impossible to narrow down to a top 20.