The Velvet Underground

Without them, we would still be singing the overrated songs of Elvis Presley and the Beatles; thank goodness the Velvet Underground arrived to invent half a century of rock music (noise-rock, punk, new wave, raga-rock, alternative rock, dream pop).
I dare say that the Velvet Underground are still very underrated, starting with those who claim (from their immense ignorance) that Helter Skelter by the Beatles invented punk, hard rock, and heavy metal.