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Joni Mitchell: Artists
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When the dust settles, Joni Mitchell may stand as the most important and influential female recording artist of the late 20th century. Uncompromising and iconoclastic, Mitchell confounded expectations at every turn; restlessly innovative, her music evolved from deeply personal folk stylings into pop, jazz, avant-garde, and even world music, presaging the multicultural experimentation of the 1980s and 1990s by over a decade. Fiercely independent, her work steadfastly resisted the whims of both mainstream audiences and the male-dominated recording industry. While Mitchell's records never sold in the same numbers enjoyed by contemporaries like Carole King, Janis Joplin, or Aretha Franklin, none experimented so recklessly with their artistic identities or so bravely explored territory outside of the accepted confines of pop music, resulting in a creative legacy which paved the way for performers ranging from Patti Smith and Chrissie Hynde to Madonna and Courtney Love.
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From the 1960s onward, Joni Mitchell wowed and confounded the musical world with her compositions, and has become known as one of the most influential female writers and recording artists of all time. Her desire to challenge musical norms, and push back at the boundaries of both cultural and musical experimentation has led to her paving the way for many other female performers.
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A number of artists have had hits covering Mitchell's songs; most recently Sarah McLachlan, who included her version of "River" on her 2006 Christmas album, Wintersong (a year after Aimee Mann covered the same song on her own 2005 Christmas EP). McLachlan ... did a version of "Blue" years before. Amy Grant scored a hit in 1995 with a cover of "Big Yellow Taxi", as did The Counting Crows in 2002. Further to this, Janet Jackson used a sample of "Big Yellow Taxi" as the centerpiece of her 1997 single "Got 'Til It's Gone". Rap artists Kanye West and Mac Dre have also sampled Mitchell's vocals in their music. In 2004 singer George Michael covered her song "Edith And The Kingpin" for a radio show. Annie Lennox has covered "Ladies Of The Canyon" for the B-side of her 1995 hit "No More I Love You's". Other famous Mitchell covers include "Woodstock" by both Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and Matthews Southern Comfort, "This Flight Tonight" by Nazareth, "Both Sides Now" by Judy Collins, Clannad, Paul Young and Roger Whittaker, "Woodstock" by Eva Cassidy and "A Case Of You" by Tori Amos, Jane Monheit, Prince, and Diana Krall.
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Mitchell was given very little compensation in her first recording contract. Eventually Elliot Roberts negotiated a better deal for her at Reprise, and she received total artistic control of her work. When Mitchell left Reprise, she was able to negotiate similar arrangements with Asylum Records - and later with Geffen Records - that gave her considerably more autonomy than most other recording artists enjoyed. However, disagreements over unpaid royalties would follow and relations with record boss, David Geffen, were strained.
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The March 25, 1995 issue of Billboard magazine announced that on December 6th, Joni would be presented with their highest honor for creative achievement, the Century Award. Past winners of the Billboard Century Award include George Harrison, Buddy Guy, and Billy Joel. The award has been presented annually since 1992 "to an artist to acknowledge the uncommon excellence of a still-unfolding body of work." The 1995 Billboard Century Award was the first of many awards Joni would receive over the next two years.
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Joni Mitchell did not become a superstar overnight. Her climb was slow and steady, through the ranks of the thousands of artists who have come and gone in contemporary music since she emerged on the coffee house scene about a decade ago.
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