Shred may be my favorite type of music but as far as blues goes, I love Hendrix, Clapton, B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and Freddie King.
The first blues song I ever mastered was Freddie king's "Hideaay" Awsome jam song :-)
I would love to get better playing the blues but at this point in my life don't have much time, being in 2 bands, wife, work. Someday I'll actually woodshed and learn the blues and concentrate on it like I did when I was in my Neoclassical phase.
I started learning guitar because of Randy Rhoads..but Yngwie J. Malmsteen is my biggest influence.