RS 100 Songs: Name the Artist (1)

[B] George Jones | George's first number one celebrated moonshine; he later battled the alcoholism this song romanticized.

[C] Joni Mitchell | Written in Hawaii after seeing paradise literally paved for a parking lot outside her hotel window.

[C] Morrissey | The Smiths had split when Morrissey went solo with this stalker's anthem that somehow charmed MTV viewers.

[C] James Brown | The Godfather of Soul paid for studio time himself when his label doubted this would be a hit.

[B] Thom Yorke | Radiohead's self-loathing anthem was banned by BBC for profanity, yet became their reluctant calling card.

[C] Gladys Knight | Originally "Midnight Plane to Houston," Cissy Houston suggested the change that made this Gladys's signature song.

[A] Ray Charles | This 1959 hit sparked controversy with its suggestive moans and became Ray's first gold record.

[B] Toots Hibbert | The Maytals created reggae by slowing down ska; Rolling Stones famously covered this Jamaican folk tale.

[A] Mick Jagger | Keith Richards dreamed the riff, recorded it half-asleep, then forgot until hearing the tape next morning.

[B] Mariah Carey | Jermaine Dupri's old-school production helped Mariah's comeback after Glitter, spending fourteen weeks at number one.

[C] James Taylor | About his friend's suicide, mental breakdown, and heroin addiction, James's confessional style birthed singer-songwriter genre.

[A] Paul McCartney | Paul woke up with this melody fully formed and spent weeks checking he hadn't accidentally stolen it.

[A] Mavis Staples | The Staple Singers turned Jamaican reggae rhythms into gospel-soul, with Pops playing tremolo guitar throughout.

[A] Eric Burdon | The Animals arranged this traditional folk song in one take during a tour break, creating folk-rock.

[D] Dolly Parton | Written on set using her acrylic nails as percussion, Dolly's workplace anthem sparked labor discussions nationwide.

[A] Patsy Cline | Recorded while on crutches after a car crash, Patsy's vulnerability made this country-pop crossover gold.

[A] Donny Hathaway | Roberta Flack discovered Donny singing in a Howard University practice room, beginning their legendary duet partnership.

[B] Annie Lennox | Eurythmics were done; Annie's solo debut proved her voice needed no synthesizers to captivate audiences worldwide.

[C] Merle Haggard | Written as satire on his tour bus, conservatives missed the joke and made Merle their reluctant spokesman.

[C] Elton John | Elton's first US number one borrowed heavily from Australian novelty songs, complete with Farfisa organ.

[A] Howlin' Wolf | Chester Burnett's primal blues howl influenced everyone from Clapton to the Rolling Stones who covered this in 1964.

[D] Etta James | Glenn Miller recorded it first in 1941, but Etta's sultry 1960 version became the definitive wedding song.

[A] Steve Winwood | Chaka Khan's backing vocals helped this win Record of the Year, reviving Steve's career after Traffic.

[D] Joe Cocker | An Officer and a Gentleman needed a duet; Joe's rasp against Jennifer Warnes's smoothness equaled Oscar gold.

[D] John Lee Hooker | One chord, no chord changes, pure Detroit blues that influenced British blues boom and punk rock.

[D] Bonnie Raitt | Canadian songwriter Shirley Eikhard wrote this; Bonnie's slide guitar made it a midlife comeback smash.

[A] Darlene Love | Phil Spector credited this to The Crystals though Darlene sang lead, starting decades of royalty disputes.

[C] Hank Williams | Music publishers rejected this 1922 show tune until Hank's yodel made it country music gold.

[C] Willie Nelson | Elvis recorded it first, but Willie's weathered interpretation won three Grammys and countless hearts.

[D] Whitney Houston | Dolly Parton wrote and recorded this first, but Whitney's version for The Bodyguard spent 14 weeks at number one.