Joni Mitchell – SSO History

Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter, Joni Mitchell is a creative visionary who has gained a reputation as one of the greatest artists of all time. Often described as a “painter derailed by circumstance,” she applied a visual artist’s eye to her lyrics and unconventional musical compositions.

Born Roberta Joan Anderson in 1943, she survived a childhood bout with polio that left her with weakened hands – a challenge she eventually turned into a creative signature by developing over 60 unique open guitar tunings to make playing easier. These tunings became the foundation of her distinctive, harmonically-rich sound. She also painted nearly all of her own album covers, viewing her music and painting as two sides of the same creative coin.

Mitchell’s career began in Canadian coffeehouses before she moved to the U.S. in 1965. She quickly became a “songwriter for the stars,” with artists like Judy Collins and Crosby, Stills & Nash turning her originals into hits before she was a household name herself.

Her 1971 album “Blue” is widely considered one of the greatest confessional albums ever recorded. It offered a raw and unfiltered look at her relationships and personal struggles, and would eventually influence artists like Prince and Taylor Swift. 

Our 2018 performance of Mitchell’s music with Sarah Slean was a landmark first live performance of Vince Mendoza’s beautiful orchestrations – this new concert paired favourites like A Case of You and Both Sides Now with classics like River, Blue, and Circle Game. It was an extra special performance here in the singer-songwriter’s hometown in celebration of her 80th birthday.