Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell, CC (born Roberta Joan Anderson on November 7, 1943, in Fort Macleod, Alberta), is a legendary Canadian musician and painter. Initially working in Toronto and western Canada, she was associated with the burgeoning folk music scene of the mid-1960s in New York City. Through the 1970s she expanded her horizons, predominantly to rock music and jazz, to become one of the most highly respected singer-songwriters of the late 20th century. Mitchell is also an accomplished artist; she has, through photography or painting, created the artwork for each of her albums, and she often describes herself as a "painter derailed by circumstance."

1970s success

Mitchell's confessional approach deepened on Blue (1971), widely considered the best of this period. Exploring the various facets of relationships, from infatuation on "A Case of You" to insecurity on "This Flight Tonight", the songs featured an increasing use of piano and Appalachian dulcimer on "Carey" , "California" and "All I Want." Others were piano led, some exhibiting the rhythms associated with rock music.

Related Topics:
Blue - A Case of You - Appalachian dulcimer - Carey - All I Want - Rock music

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The more straightforward "rock" influence was still strong on her next two albums, recorded for new label Asylum. For the Roses (1972), whose title track continued her exploration of the themes of "For Free," sold well, supported by the country-influenced hit single "You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio". But it was Court and Spark (1974), a hybrid of pop, rock, and folk with a jazzy sheen, that proved to be a huge success, producing such classic songs as "Free Man in Paris" (inspired by stories told by her producer and then-friend David Geffen), "Car On A Hill" and, most notably, "Help Me", which, to this day, remains her best selling single (it reached the Top Ten).

Related Topics:
For the Roses - Court and Spark - Free Man in Paris - David Geffen - Car On A Hill - Help Me

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Court and Spark was also notable for the first echoes of the influence of jazz on Mitchell's work, and despite the commercial success of that album and the subsequent live record "Miles of Aisles," she would spend the rest of the decade following that muse and creating more free-form, jazz-inflected music.

Related Topics:
Jazz - Miles of Aisles

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