Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell, born in 1943, influential Canadian folk singer and songwriter. She was born Roberta Joan Anderson in Fort Macleod, Alberta, and was raised in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Mitchell studied art, then became a folk singer, living in Toronto, Ontario, and Detroit, Michigan. She adopted her stage name after marrying musician Chuck Mitchell, whom she soon divorced. In 1967 she moved to New York City, where she signed a contract with American music executive David Geffen. The following year she released her first album, Joni Mitchell (later renamed Songs to a Seagull).

In 1968 American singer Judy Collins recorded Mitchell's song “Both Sides Now,” and it became a major hit. Sparked by this success, Mitchell's own records started to sell well. She settled in Laurel Canyon in the mountains above Los Angeles, California, and recorded her best-known albums, including Clouds (1969), which won a Grammy Award and features her self-portrait on its cover; Ladies of the Canyon (1970); Blue (1971), often ranked as one of the major records of the decade; For the Roses (1972); and Court and Spark (1974). Her introspective lyrics and adventurous music won her a devoted following, especially among women. As with “Both Sides Now,” some of Mitchell's best-known compositions became hits for other artists, including “The Circle Game” (1968, recorded by American folk singer Tom Rush) and “Woodstock” (1970, recorded by American folk-rock group Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young).

Later in the 1970s albums such as Hejira (1977) and Mingus (1979), Mitchell's tribute to jazz bassist Charles Mingus, expanded her style from folk and rock music into jazz. These albums confused many fans of her earlier work, however, and Mitchell’s sales suffered. Her albums in the 1980s—including Wild Things Run Fast (1982), Dog Eat Dog (1985), and Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm (1988)—also failed to generate much attention or sales.

She continued recording in the 1990s, and although widespread commercial success generally eluded Mitchell she garnered critical praise and was recognized for her lasting influence on popular music. Her 1994 album, Turbulent Indigo, won two Grammy Awards, as did her album of love songs, Both Sides Now (2000). In 2002 Mitchell was given the Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement; later that year she released the album Travelogue, which featured some of her most popular songs arranged for choir and orchestra.