Joni Mitchell

Who is Joni Mitchell?

Joni Mitchell is a famed Canadian singer and songwriter best known for hits such as ‘Both Sides Now’ and ‘Big Yellow Taxi.’ She has been named by ‘Rolling Stone’ as one of the best songwriters ever. She is also regarded as one of the most significant and influential female artists of the late 20th century. She began her career singing in nightclubs in her hometown and eventually started touring. Soon, she released her debut album ‘Song to a Seagull’. She started gaining more attention after the release of her album ‘Blue’. Peaking at the 15th position on the US Billboard 200, the album was a commercial success. It is often considered by critics as one of the best albums ever. National Public Radio chose it as the best album ever made by a woman. She proceeded to release several other albums over the next few years, such as ‘Court and Spark’, ‘Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter’, and ‘Dog eat Dog’. She has won nine Grammy Awards in different categories in her career so far. Mitchell has been an influence on several well-known artistes such as Katy Perry, Ellie Goulding, Mikael Akerfeld, as well as Madonna.

Career

Joni Mitchell started performing shortly after she learnt to play the guitar. Her unique style was quite appreciated by the folk-music loving audiences. She soon moved to the US, and after a few years, she released her first album ‘Song to a Seagull’ (also known as Joni Mitchell). It was produced by David Crosby. It was followed by her second and third albums ‘Clouds’ and ‘Ladies of the Canyon’, released in 1969 and 1970 respectively.

Mitchell came to popularity after the release of her fourth studio album ‘Blue’. The album was a success commercially, peaking at the 15th position on the US Billboard 200 and at the 9th position on the Canadian RPM Albums Chart. The album was appreciated by critics as well, and is considered as one of the best albums ever made. The album has been named on several lists, such as Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Her fifth album ‘For the Roses’ found average success. Her sixth album, ‘Court and Sparks’, was a huge success. Released in 1974, the album peaked at the 1st position on the Canadian RPM Albums Chart, and at the 2nd position on the US Billboard 200. It earned four nominations for the Grammy Awards, out of which it won one.

Over the next few decades, she released several other albums though they didn’t perform very well commercially. These include ‘Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter’ (1977), ‘Mingus’ (1979), ‘Dog Eat Dog’ (1985), ‘Night Ride Home’ (1991), ‘Taming the Tiger’ (1998) and ‘Both Sides Now’ (2000).

In 2007, she released the album ‘Shine,’ which, so far, has been the last album of her career. The album was a commercial success, peaking at the 14th position on the US Billboard 200. It also entered the charts in various other countries such as the UK, Norway, and France.