- Born in Alberta Canada, in 1943.
- She has released 19 studio albums in her career, from 1968 to 2007. Her work has led to 7 Grammy Awards, including a lifetime achievement award in 2002. Additionally, Herbie Hancock’s album River: The Joni Letters, won album of the year in 2007 – this album featured covers of 10 Mitchell songs, and she was awarded a Grammy along with Hancock.
- Mitchell’s 1971 album Blue was ranked by Rolling Stone as the #30 best album ever made, and is the highest ranking album by a woman artist. She also has been ranked the #42 greatest singer of all time, the #9 greatest songwriter of all time, and the #72 greatest guitarist of all time, by Rolling Stone.
- In 1997, Mitchell was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
- Joni also is a prolific painter, with over 300 paintings to her credit. Some were used as cover art for her albums.
- Nearly all of her music is self produced. Her biggest hits were Help Me and Free Man in Paris. Two well known pieces by her (and others who covered them) are Big Yellow Taxi and Woodstock.
- Her music provided a woman’s perspective on social and cultural life at a time when rock & roll was largely dominated by men. Her voice is a distinctive mezzo-soprano, later evolving to a lower contralto. You immediately know a song sung by Joni Mitchell when you hear it.
- Watch Mitchell perform Woodstock, along with a cover (not CSNY) of the same song that charted in 1971.
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