Joni (Anderson) Mitchell

Ancestors

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Alberta Performing Artists

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Biography

Joni Mitchell is a Canadian-American musician, singer songwriter, and painter. With an innovative and eclectic style, she is considered by many to be one of the most important and influential female recording artist of the late 20th century.

Family Life

Joni was born Roberta Joan Anderson on November 7, 1943 in Fort Macleod, Alberta, the daughter of Myrtle Marguerite McKee and William Andrew Anderson. Joni contracted polio at age nine and was hospitalized for weeks. Her family moved to Saskatoon when Joni was 11, which she considers her hometown.

In her youth, Joni was interested in painting. She briefly studied piano before turning her attention to ukulele and guitar. Due to physical limitation caused by her bout with polio, she had to develop alternative guitar tunings which later influenced her songwriting.

As a young and impoverished folk singer, Joni found herself pregnant by her Calgary ex-boyfriend Brad MacMath. Joni gave birth to a baby girl in February 1965 who she gave up for adoption. Joni and her daughter were later reunited.

Joni, 21 years old, married fellow musician, Chuck Mitchell in June 1965. They divorced in early 1967.

In 1982, she married bassist and sound engineer, Larry Klein. They divorced after twelve years of marriage after working on 1994's Grammy-winning album, Turbulent Indigo together.

Joni is currently a dual Canadian and U.S. citizen. She divides her time between her longtime home in Los Angeles, and her property in Sechelt, British Columbia.

Career

She attended the Alberta College of Art in Calgary for the 1963–64 school year but, disillusioned, dropped out. She started performing as a singer in Calgary before heading east to be a part of the Toronto folk music scene. She was unable to pay the $200 needed for musicians' union fees, so was confined to fringe venues and busking.

Joni left Canada in late April 1965 with Chuck Mitchell, where they began playing music together. They regularly performed at the coffee houses of Detroit's Cass Corridor. After, they divorced in early 1967, Joni moved to New York City to follow her musical path as a solo artist.

Joni's career as a singer songwriter flourished in the years to follow. She toured extensively, recorded her songs and had them covered by many other musicians. Her albums were widely acclaimed and very popular. Disillusioned with the music industry, she eventually retired from recording and performing. Vocal difficulties also contributed to this decision. Joni worked behind the scenes on a number of musical projects over the years that followed.

Joni made a return to public performing at the July 24, 2022 Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island, as an unannounced special guest performing with Brandi Carlile.

Legacy and Awards

Joni's use of an open, or non-standard, tuning has influenced many guitar players who followed. Many artists have been influenced by her work and she continues to have her songs recorded by other musicians.

Joni has received three Juno and eight Grammy awards plus a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002. Other awards include:

• inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1981
• awarded the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement
• received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in 2000
• named a Companion of the Order of Canada in 2002
• inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2007
• received the Les Paul Award in 2020 (becoming the first woman to be so honored)
• named as MusiCares Person of the Year in 2022.

Sources

See also:

• Wikidata: Item Q205721, en:Wikipedia
• Joni Mitchell on Wikipedia
• Joni's Official Website
• Artist on Spotify