Roberta Joan Anderson, better known as Joni Mitchell, is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Mitchell was born on November 7, 1943, in Macleod, Alberta, now Fort Macleod, and contracted polio when she was nine years old. She began singing for others while in the hospital, and she later taught herself to play the guitar. She attended art school in Calgary before moving to Toronto, where she married Chuck Mitchell, and then New York. Joni Mitchell (Song to a Seagull), her first album, was recorded there when she was 25 years old, with her own vocals and acoustic guitar.
Mitchell’s second album, Clouds, was released a year later in 1969 and reached the Top 40, earning Mitchell his first of five Grammy Awards. Ladies of the Canyon, Blue, and Court and Spark are all important albums. Her only Top 10 hit came in 1974 with “Help Me.” Mitchell turned to painting after his later albums received some negative reviews, and he had a European exhibition in 1991. In 1981, Mitchell was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, and in 1997, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
After the release of Travelogue in 2002, Joni Mitchell announced her retirement from music. Nonetheless, in 2007, she released Shine, which received more positive reviews and was hailed as a return of her vocal prowess. She was also featured on a Canadian postage stamp that year.
Mitchell’s songs “Both Sides Now” and “Woodstock” were covered by Judy Collins and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, respectively. “Big Yellow Taxi,” “You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio,” “Circle Game,” “Free Man in Paris,” “River,” “Help Me,” and “Chelsea Morning” are among the songs she wrote and sang best-known versions of.
Tori Amos, Elvis Costello, Madonna, Mandy Moore, Morrissey, and Prince have all been influenced by Joni Mitchell’s music. Frank Sinatra, Counting Crows, Sarah McLachlan, George Michael, and Annie Lennox have all covered her songs. Janet Jackson’s single “Got ‘Til It’s Gone” featured a sample of “Big Yellow Taxi.”