Question:  Rick Vito was influenced by this American jazz, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor who was one of the pioneers of what?

Context articles: Lucky In Love: The Best of Rick Vito
Jarekus Singleton
Drink Small
Love Shines (song)
King of Hearts (Rick Vito album)
Rick Vito
Rick Allen (organist)
Behind the Mask (album)
Les Paul
Blue Again!

Lucky in Love: The Best of Rick Vito is a compilation album by former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Rick Vito.
 Released in 2009, the album features songs from Vito's solo career starting in 1992.
Jarekus Singleton (born July 11, 1984 in Clinton, Mississippi, United States) is an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter.
 "Refuse To Lose" was his first nationally and internationally distributed album.
 It was released on the Chicago-based independent blues record label Alligator Records on May 6, 2014.
 England's "Blues & Rhythm" called Singleton "a great, new blues talent…young, original, soulful and intense…superb, blistering guitar."
 According to "Living Blues" magazine, "Jarekus Singleton is making some serious blues noise...blending modern-day blues and emotionally intense soul with melodic, hot-toned lead guitar, funk-seasoned rhythms and hip-hop flavored lyrics."
 "The Washington Post" said, "Jarekus Singleton is an exciting new young blues guitarist with melody, hooks, swagger and a strong, original voice.
 His lyrics are modern, personal, acutely poetic and deeply mature."
 "USA Today" said of Singleton, "Stinging blues guitar and potent, original songs herald the emergence of a major new talent."
Drink Small (born January 28, 1933) is an African-American soul blues and electric blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter.
 He is known as the Blues Doctor and has been influenced by gospel and country music and by the blues guitarist and singer Blind Boy Fuller.
"Love Shines" is a song by British-American band Fleetwood Mac.
 The song was released as a single in 1992 to support the compilation album "25 Years – The Chain".
 The song was released as a single in Europe, but in North America "Paper Doll" was released instead.
 This is the first single released after the departure of vocalist Stevie Nicks and guitarist Rick Vito.
 The official music video features the four remaining members playing the song on top of a building in Hollywood.
King Of Hearts is the first solo album by former Fleetwood Mac guitarist and singer Rick Vito, released in 1992.
Richard Francis "Rick" Vito (born October 13, 1949, Darby, Pennsylvania, United States) is an American guitarist and singer.
 He was part of Fleetwood Mac between 1987 and 1991.
 Vito took over as lead guitarist after Lindsey Buckingham left Fleetwood Mac.
 He is best known for his blues and slide guitar style, whose influences include Elmore James, Robert Nighthawk, B.B. King, Alvino Rey, Les Paul, Mohan Bhatt, George Harrison and Keith Richards.
Rick Allen is a blues, rock and R&B Hammond organist and pianist.
 In the 1960s, he played organ trio gigs in L.A..
and did session work with singers and guitarists such as Jerry McGee and Rick Vito.
 In the 1970s, he toured with Don Preston, and recorded with Delaney & Bonnie.
 Allen moved to New Orleans in the 1980s, where he played and recorded with a number of blues and cajun performers including Ernie K-Doe, King Floyd, Freddy Fender, Marcia Ball.
Behind the Mask is the 15th studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in 1990.
 It was the first album released by the band after the departure of guitarist Lindsey Buckingham.
 He was replaced by Billy Burnette and Rick Vito, both guitar players, singers and songwriters.
 Fleetwood Mac thus became a six-piece band with four singer/songwriters.
 The album was not as successful as its predecessor, "Tango in the Night", nor did it spawn any big hit singles although "Save Me" made the US Top 40, while "Love Is Dangerous" and "Skies the Limit" enjoyed some airplay.
 "Save Me" and "Skies the Limit" were much more successful in Canada, where they both reached the Top 30.
 Though it barely reached the US Top 20, the album entered the UK Albums Chart at number 1 and achieved platinum status there.
 Following the album's release and subsequent world tour, bandmembers Stevie Nicks and Rick Vito left the band, though Nicks would rejoin in 1997.
Lester William Polsfuss (June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009), known as Les Paul, was an American jazz, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor.
 He was one of the pioneers of the solid-body electric guitar.
 Paul taught himself how to play guitar, and while he is mainly known for jazz and popular music, he had an early career in country music.
 He is credited with many recording innovations.
 Although he was not the first to use the technique, his early experiments with overdubbing (also known as sound on sound), delay effects such as tape delay, phasing effects and multitrack recording were among the first to attract widespread attention.
Blue Again is a live album by the Mick Fleetwood Blues Band, featuring Rick Vito, released in 2008.
 It was recorded at The Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis, Missouri on 8 February 2008.