Joni Mitchell

Inducted in 1981

In the annals of contemporary songwriting, there may be no one more widely praised or thoroughly influential than Joni Mitchell.

Indeed, she is one of the 20th century’s most celebrated – and imitated – artists. The list of those who have either recorded one of her songs or cited her as an inspiration stretches from her Alberta birthplace to her long-time California home and beyond, cutting across gender lines and musical genres to include Prince, Diana Krall, George Michael and Björk, to name just four.

Career Highlights

1997 & 2002

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1997) and wins a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2002).

1974

“Help Me” is Mitchell’s biggest single and only Top 10 hit, peaking at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974.

1971

1971’s landmark album Blue is rated the 30th best album ever by Rolling Stone.

1969

Her song “Woodstock” about the famous 1969 festival is a hit for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and becomes a counterculture anthem.

1965

Relocates Stateside in 1965 where her songs (“Chelsea Morning,” “Both Sides, Now,” “The Circle Game”) galvanize the folk scene.

Video Background

Videos

Quick Fact

Also a gifted painter, she gets her start in music, along with Gordon Lightfoot and Neil Young, in Toronto’s famed (and once hippie-friendly) Yorkville scene.