Joni Mitchell resources on the Web

also visit: Joni Mitchell official site


[smiling w/hat] Jon Ragel 1994 [source]

New: long art w/pix, art show, tour dates ditto, plus cable tribute

New: Salon profile

News: tribute special and next albums

NEWS: Wally Breese has died at age 47, creator of http://www.jonimitchell.com/

NEW: Official site for new CD, w/RealAudio samples


Biographical timeline

1943-64 bio

1943: 7 Nov, born Roberta Joan Anderson in Ft. McLeod, Alberta, Canada (only child of grocer Bill and schoolteacher Myrtle)
raised in the city of Saskatoon [memories]
1951: piano lessons inspired by Frankie McKitrick
1953: hospitalized with polio; starts to smoke
1956: English teacher Mr. Kratzman teaches her to write poetry
learned guitar from Pete Seeger book (invented different tunings to compensate for polio-weakened left hand
c1961: "Lambert, Hendricks and Ross were my Beatles"
1963-64: one year at Alberta College of Art in Calgary; ukulele
1964: playing Judy Collins covers in Calgary coffeehouses

memories

1964-68 bio

1964: Toronto; worked at dept stores
1965: February daughter born; March married Chuck Mitchell; April gave up daughter for adoption
1965: summer, moved to Detroit
1965: August first song "Day by Day"
1966: plays Newport Folk Festival; divorced
1966: [review]
1967: moves to NYC; managed by Elliot Roberts; signed by Reprise [pix]

Tom Rush interview

An anonymouse offers:

"I saw Chuck & Joni Mitchell at their first performance at the famous Club 47 in Harvard Square, Cambridge, sometime around 1968 (guessing). I was a fan of Tom Rush, and had heard his versions of her songs, in particular I loved Urge For Goin'. At that show Chuck & Joni played separate sets and did not perform together at all. Her set was just her singing and playing acoustic guitar, the songs were all her own compositions. His set was divided about equally into 2 genres - folky ragtime traditional songs, which he sang while playing a 12-string, and Brecht/ Weill songs, on which he used a classical guitar. Musically the 2 styles were quite different, but lyrically there were interesting connections. I thought he was a prety good performer and enjoyed his set as much as Joni's."
 

1968-70 bio

1967: moves to LA, lives with David Crosby [DC interview]
1968: self-titled debut album, produced by David Crosby [article], [pix]
1968: Judy Collins hit cover of "Both Sides Now"
1969: "The Johnny Cash Show" (ABC)
1969: lives with Graham Nash; skips Woodstock [art]; [pix?], [pic]; article, ditto
1969: Clouds reaches Top 40, Grammy
1970: Isle of Wight Festival
1970: Ladies of the Canyon radio hit "Big Yellow Taxi", "Woodstock" article
1970: takes year off, travels in Europe
1970? relationship with James Taylor

1971-73 bio

1971: Blue [alternate version] [handwriting]
1971: moved to British Columbia
1972: tours with Jackson Browne [art], ditto; article, ditto, ditto; [pix]

1974-75 bio

1974: tours with Tom Scott and LA Express [pix]; review, ditto
1974: cover of Time
1975: living in Bel Air with John Guerin (LA Express drummer) [art]
1975: tours with Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Review

1976-77 bio

1976: breaks up with Guerin; road trip; connects with Jaco Pastorius [JP discography], ditto; [Bel Air pix]
1976: The Last Waltz (the Band's farewell concert/film) [info]
1977: [pix]

1978-80 bio

1978: contacted by Charlie Mingus [slideshow]
1978: visits Georgia O'Keefe; Bread & Roses Fest [info]
1979: January death of Mingus; May No Nukes concert [info], UC Jazz Fest [info]
1979: art featured in book [art]
1980: Bread & Roses Fest [info]

1981-84 bio

1980: writes and stars in 15min segment of film, "Love" (unreleased)
1981: Juno awards [pix]; Caribbean interlude; approaches The Police to collaborate
1982: slideshow; [pix]
1982: switches to Geffen records; marries bassist Larry Klein [pix]
1983: pix; world tour slideshow
1984: exhibits at Kamikaze Gallery in NYC [art]

"The '80s were particularly difficult for me, between illness and greed. Everybody close up on me betrayed me for money. Everybody. There was not an exception. From the government of California to my bank, everyone robbed me. My business manager. My personal manager. My housekeeper!" [cite]

1985-89 bio

1985: writes "Ethiopia" for relief album [info]
1985: changes to Peter Asher management; auto accident; Farm Aid [info]
1985: Dog Eat Dog release party with show at James Corcoran Gallery [slideshow]
1985: 'Rock Master Class' in London
1986: records "My Secret Place" at Peter Gabriel's UK studio
1986: Amnesty International benefit [pix]
1987: death of Jaco Pastorius [interview w/wife]
1988: [pix]; [art show], [art]; [in Italy]
1989: wins Grammy [slideshow]; [pix]

1986 acoustic set at Amnesty International (she was a last-minute substitute for Pete Townshend) was cut short when the crowd, obviously unfamiliar with her work, booed her.

1990-93 bio

1990: Berlin The Wall concert [pix]
1990: tribute revue at L.A. Theater Center [pix]; Gap ad; [slideshow]
1991: VH-1 Night Ride Home special; Sting's birthday [pix]
1991: video collection: Come In From The Cold [info]
1992: Liz taylor's birthday [pix]; tribute album [info]
1993: Troubadours of Folk concert [pix]
1993: separated from Larry

1993-95 bio

1993: Milton Berle's birthday [pix] ; [art] ; [art]; [pix]
1994: concert in Japan [info]; Edmonton [info], [press conference]; Toronto; London
1994: disclosed postpolio syndrome
1995: AIDS benefit [slideshow]; Gene Autry museum; Jay Leno; Letterman; New Orleans
1995: synth-guitar saves her from quitting music [interview]

1995-96 bio

1996: Chrissie Hynde and Carly Simon fistfight at Fez concert [info], ditto, ditto
1996: Billboard tribute [article], award, ditto; CBS [pic]; Leno
1996: Canadian TV; two Grammies; [slideshow]

1996-1998 bio

1996: Canadian radio; unauthorized bio; Letterman; birthday; Rosie O; interview, ditto; Swedish prize
1997: interview; interview; reunion w/daughter; Hall of Fame; [pix]

1998: joins Dylan tour [news], ditto, review, ditto
1998: Chicago folk school [pic]
1998: fan fest; birthday
1998: TV special [report]

mailing list; search archives


Albums

(If you grew up with Joni's music, these album titles are also a map of your own memories.)


Joni Mitchell (1968 aka Song to a Seagull)

Amazon page

info; lyrics; cover

interview w/photographer


Clouds (1969)

Amazon page

info; lyrics; cover

children's book


Ladies of the Canyon (1970)

Amazon page

info; lyrics; cover

Big Yellow Taxi: Dylan anecdotes

Woodstock: study questions


Blue (1971)

Amazon page

info; lyrics

Alternate version included still-unreleased song

[handwriting]

Mojo magazine's "100 Greatest Albums Ever Mad" put Blue at #18.

James Taylor (purportedly the subject of "Blue" and, from For the Roses, "See You Sometime")

review

Background on 'Carey'


For the Roses (1972)

Amazon page

info; lyrics


Court and Spark (1974)

Amazon page

info; lyrics; cover


Miles of Aisles (1974 live)

Amazon page

info; lyrics

accompanied by the jazz-fusion band L.A. Express (including Tom Scott)

Sweet Bird thread

 


The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975)

Amazon page

info; lyrics

Mojo magazine's "100 Greatest Albums Ever Mad" put The Hissing of Summer Lawns at #78

review, ditto

Jungle Line thread

 


Hejira (1976)

Amazon page

info; lyrics

Furry Sings the Blues: Furry's own anger

review

 


Don Juan's Reckless Daughter (1977)

Amazon page

info; lyrics

"This record followed on the tail of persecution, it's experimental, and it didn't really matter what I did, I just had to fulfill my contract"

Larry Carlton and Wayne Shorter, augmented by a group of Latin percussionists (including Airto)

review; ditto?

ad

 


Mingus (1979)

rejected title: Chair in the Sky

Amazon page

info; lyrics; later interview; cover

dying of Lou Gehrig's disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), Mingus invited Mitchell to collaborate with him. She set lyrics to some of the last melodies Mingus wrote.

"It was a terrible career move. I was warned that it was a terrible career move, too. My management was able to foresee that. I could not believe that, so I proceeded anyway. I just couldn't believe that I was going to be excommunicated, which is what happened. I was basically viewed as a traitor." [cite]

review, ditto

Mingus website


Shadows and Light (1980 live)

Amazon page

info; lyrics

featured a band including Jaco Pastorius of Weather Report and jazz-rock guitarist Pat Metheny and the a cappella vocal group the Persuasions, also met mixed reviews.


Wild Things Run Fast (1982)

Amazon page

info; lyrics; cover

review

title-related anecdote


Dog Eat Dog (1985)

Amazon page

info; lyrics

Coproduced by Thomas Dolby, the album featured appearances by Michael McDonald ("Good Friends") and actor Rod Steiger


Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm (1988)

Amazon page

info; lyrics; Joni's comments

Peter Gabriel ("My Secret Place"),Willie Nelson, and Tom Petty and Billy Idol ("Dancing Clown")

alternate cover pix


Night Ride Home (1991)

Amazon page

info; lyrics


Turbulent Indigo (1994)

Amazon page

info; lyrics; cover

Todd Rundgren RealAudio interview

Yvette in English backgrounder

samples

Reviews: Time, student; Ricci


Hits and Misses (1996 compilation)

Amazon pages: Hits, Misses

info

website

Hits info, ditto; Misses info

40min Morrissey RealAudio interview

songbooks

samples

The Band connection

Reviews: Toronto, Billboard


Taming the Tiger (1998)

Amazon page

lyrics; cover

interview w/drummer; MTV RealVideo

review; reviews; review,review, review, review, review


Gershwin's World (1999 guest vocals for Herbie Hancock)

Joni sings 'Summertime' and 'The Man I Love'

Amazon incl RealAudio clip of 'Man'


Both Sides Now (2000 standards)

Official site w/RealAudio

Amazon, info

Tracks: "You're My Thrill" "At Last" "Comes Love" "You've Changed" "Answer Me, My Love" "A Case Of You" "Don't Go To Strangers" "It All Depends On You" "I'll Get By" "Stormy Weather" "I Wish I Were In Love Again" "Both Sides Now"

Cool anecdote: see 8Feb entry


Art

CSNY cover


Misc

Links: jmdl, Marcus

icons

unreleased; rarities; discography; movies; jazz tribute

articles; reviews; MTVnews articles

Technique: guitar interview

guitar tunings; ditto, ditto; MIDIs; book

short reviews, ditto

unauthorized bio, review; blurb, Amazon page

reunion w/daughter: articles; fansite, news report

guest appearances; others' covers; Dylan connections; Hendrix connections; Seal connection

Save the Wolves

pix: early, early, recent

short bios: Jam; RoughGuide; birthday; fan

fan art, ditto, ditto, ditto

fan essay

lyrics game; Java quiz

fanpages: classy, ditto; thorough; Dutch; jazz; smoker fetish; fan; ASCAP; fan; fan

 


How to make resource pages like this tutorial.


from http://www.robotwisdom.com/jorn/joni.html