As one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the s circuit, Mitchell became known for her personal lyrics and unconventional compositions, which grew to incorporate elements of pop , jazz , and other genres. Rolling Stone named her "one of the greatest songwriters ever", [ 2 ] and AllMusic has stated, "Joni Mitchell may stand as the most important and influential female recording artist of the late 20th century.
Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in Saskatoon and throughout western Canada, before moving on to the nightclubs of Toronto. She moved to the United States and began touring in Her album Blue is often cited as one of the greatest albums of all time; it was rated the 30th best album ever made in Rolling Stone ' s list of the " Greatest Albums of All Time ", [ 4 ] rising to number 3 in the edition.
Mitchell began exploring more jazz-influenced ideas on 's Court and Spark , which featured the radio hits " Help Me " and " Free Man in Paris " [ 8 ] and became her best-selling album. Mitchell's vocal range began to shift from mezzo-soprano to that of a wide-ranging contralto around Starting in the mids, she began working with noted jazz musicians including Jaco Pastorius , Tom Scott , Wayne Shorter , Herbie Hancock , and Pat Metheny as well as Charles Mingus , who asked her to collaborate on his final recordings.
She was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in Mitchell produced or co-produced most of her albums and designed most of her own album covers, describing herself as a "painter derailed by circumstance". She gave occasional interviews and made appearances to speak on various causes over the next two decades, though the rupture of a brain aneurysm in led to a long period of recovery and therapy.
A series of retrospective compilations were released over the time period, culminating in the Joni Mitchell Archives , a project to publish much of the unreleased material from her long career. She returned to public appearances in , accepting several awards in person, including a Kennedy Center Honor.
