Joni Mitchell | Artist
Roberta Joan 'Joni' Mitchell CC, is a Canadian singer-songwriter born 1943 in Fort Macleod, Canada. Mitchell fuses folk, pop, rock, and jazz, to express romance, confusion, disillusionment, and joy in her music. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and throughout western Canada before busking in the streets and nightclubs of Toronto. In 1965 she moved to the United States and began touring. Eventally settling in Laurel Canyon, California, Mitchell reeled off a string of hit singles and albums, including popular songs like "Big Yellow Taxi" and "Woodstock", which helped define an era and a generation. Her 1971 album Blue is often cited as one of the best albums of all time, and was rated the 30th best album ever made in Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Between 1970-76 Mitchell delivered six masterpiece albums in succession; Ladies of the Canyon, Blue, For The Roses, Court and Spark, The Hissing of Summer Lawns and Hejira. Around 1975, Mitchell's vocal range began to shift and she began exploring more rhythmically complex jazz influenced music. She began working closely with noted jazz musicians, among them Jaco Pastorius, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, as well as Charles Mingus, who asked her to collaborate on his final recordings. Mitchell's approach to music struck a chord with many female listeners. In an era dominated by the stereotypical male rock star, she presented herself as wilful and independent, yet complex and conflicted, endearing her to legions of female fans. Mitchell also asserted her desire for artistic control throughout her career, and still holds the publishing rights for her music. She is the sole producer credited on most of her albums, including all her work in the 1970s. A blunt critic of the music industry, she quit touring and released her last album of original songs in 2007. With roots in visual art, Mitchell has designed most of her own album covers. She describes herself as a "painter derailed by circumstance". To-date she has released 21 studio albums and three excellent live albums. Standouts include Clouds (1969), Ladies of the Canyon (1970), Blue (1971), For The Roses (1972), Court & Spark (1974), The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975), Hejira (1976), Miles of Aisles (1974) and Shadows and Light (1980). Asylum records released two excellent volumes of Joni's albums which are also highly recommended; The Asylum Albums (1972-1975), and The Asylum Albums (1976-1980). In 2002 Joni Mitchell was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards. As a child, Mitchell taught herself guitar from a Pete Seeger songbook, however a childhood bout of Polio had weakened her left hand, so she devised alternative tunings to compensate. She later used these tunings to create nonstandard approaches to harmony and structure in her songwriting, which helped shape her characteristic sound which has distinct jazz influences.
Artist Website: jonimitchell.com
Featured Albums: Joni Mitchell
Related Artists: Graham Nash, Tom Scott, Charles Mingus
Collections: Women of Note
