Favorite band or artist of all time?

I feel your pain, Steve. I too was enthralled with Ginger's playing, until I wised up ;-) . Buddy Rich referred to him as a clown. I didn't yet know Clapton had disbanded (heh) Cream after and a result of hearing The Band's debut album, but was still surprised to see him so soon again playing with Ginger in Blind Faith. Eric more than made up for that by enlisting Jim Gordon, a fantastic drummer (and all-around musician. Jim and Eric wrote "Layla", and Jim plays the piano part in the middle section of the song) in Derek & The Dominoes. But many disagree with we and Buddy, considering Ginger one of the all-time greatest. Different strokes for different folks!

Beyond ALL doubt the greatest American musician of all time, the one who was the only man who could express the very heart and soul of our great nation was Tiny Tim !Even our great president can’t make us great again after we lost him.Of course making "tip-toe through the tulips " what it should be, our national anthem, would be a step forward .

The story goes that Clapton offered his services to The Band and their response was something like, no thanks, we already have a guitarist.

Steve, the story Eric tells (in The Last Waltz, I believe) is that his reaction upon hearing Music From Big Pink was "Music had been heading in the wrong direction for a long time. When I heard MFBP, I thought, well, someone has finally got it right." He told Ginger and Jack Cream was over, and headed to West Saugerties (the upstate New York hamlet in which the Big Pink house is located) to hang with The Band, waiting, he says, to get up the nerve to ask them to join. He then says it finally dawned on him---they neither required nor desired his services!

All great choices! No one is right or wrong.
Queen would probably be a close second for me (especially old Queen) -1st 5 or 6 albums😎