Editing Joni Mitchell (section)

==Career==

===1964–1967: Career beginnings, motherhood, and first marriage===
She continued to play gigs as a folk musician on weekends at her college and at a local hotel. Around this time she took a $15-a-week job in a Calgary coffeehouse called The Depression Coffee House, "singing long tragic songs in a minor key". She sang at [[hootenannies]] and made appearances on local TV and radio shows in Calgary.<ref name="GIGS">{{cite web |url=http://jonimitchell.com/chronology/ |title=A Chronology of Appearances |publisher=JoniMitchell.com |access-date=February 11, 2017 |archive-date=February 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140208001839/http://www.jonimitchell.com/chronology/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1964, at the age of 20, she told her mother that she intended to be a folk singer in Toronto. She left western Canada for the first time in her life, heading east for Ontario. Mitchell wrote her first song, "Day After Day", on the three-day train ride. She stopped at the [[Mariposa Folk Festival]] to see [[Buffy Sainte-Marie]], an American folk singer<ref>{{cite news |last1=Leo |first1=Geoff |last2=Woloshyn |first2=Roxanna |last3=Guerriero |first3=Guerriero |title=Who is the real Buffy Sainte-Marie? |url=https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/buffy-sainte-marie |access-date=October 31, 2023 |work=CBC News |date=October 27, 2023 |archive-date=October 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027111549/https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/buffy-sainte-marie |url-status=live }}</ref>  who had inspired her. A year later, Mitchell played Mariposa, her first gig for a major audience, and years later Sainte-Marie herself covered Mitchell's work.

Lacking the $200 needed for musicians' union fees, Mitchell performed at a few gigs at the Half Beat and the Village Corner in Toronto's [[Yorkville, Toronto|Yorkville]] neighbourhood, but she mostly played non-union gigs "in church basements and [[YMCA]] meeting halls". Rejected from major folk clubs, she resorted to [[busking]],<ref name="GIGS"/> while she "worked in the women's wear section of a downtown department store to pay the rent."<ref>{{cite web|last=Bradley|first=Jeff|title=A Witness to Troubled Times|url=http://jonimitchell.com/library/print.cfm?id=1139|agency=Associated Press|date=May 13, 1988|access-date=April 29, 2014|archive-date=April 30, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140430125128/http://jonimitchell.com/library/print.cfm?id=1139|url-status=live}}</ref> She lived in a rooming house, directly across the hall from poet [[Duke Redbird]].<ref name=dirtpoor>{{cite web |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/437645518 |title=Joni: 'Dirt poor,' 20 and pregnant; Excerpts from a new book reveal details of Joni Mitchell's life in '60s Toronto |work=[[Toronto Star]] |date=April 7, 1997 |access-date=February 11, 2017 |archive-date=February 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170212091253/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/doc/437645518.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Apr+7%2C+1997&author=by+John+Goddard+SPECIAL+TO+THE+STAR&pub=Toronto+Star&edition=&startpage=E.1&desc=Joni%3A+%60Dirt+poor%2C%27+20+and+pregnant+Excerpts+from+a+new+book+reveal+details+of+Joni+Mitchell%27s+life+in+%2760s+Toronto |id={{ProQuest|437645518}} |url-status=live }}</ref> Mitchell also began to realize each city's folk scene tended to accord veteran performers the exclusive right to play their signature songs—despite not having written the songs—which Mitchell found insular, contrary to the egalitarian ideal of folk music. She found her best traditional material was already other singers' property. She said she was told {{"'}}You can't sing that. That's my song.' And I named another one. 'You can't sing that. That's my song.' This is my introduction to territorial songs. I ran into it again in Toronto." She resolved to write her own songs.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q2yFAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT43|title=Joni Mitchell – In Her Own Words|page=43|first=Malka|last=Marom|publisher=ECW Press|date=September 1, 2014|isbn=9781770905818|access-date=November 1, 2020|archive-date=November 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106064308/https://books.google.com/books?id=q2yFAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT43|url-status=live}}</ref>

Mitchell discovered that she was pregnant by her Calgary ex-boyfriend Brad MacMath in late 1964. She later wrote, "[He] left me three months pregnant in an attic room with no money and winter coming on and only a fireplace for heat. The spindles of the banister were gap-toothed—fuel for last winter's occupants."<ref name="LINER">{{cite web |url=http://jonimitchell.com/music/album.cfm?id=24 |title=Words and Music |publisher=JoniMitchell.com |access-date=April 9, 2012 |archive-date=May 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504111546/http://jonimitchell.com/music/album.cfm?id=24 |url-status=live }}</ref> <!--At the time, "[[combined oral contraceptive pill|the pill]]" was legally unavailable in Canada, as was abortion, yet there was a strong social stigma against women giving birth out of wedlock. In Toronto, she could at least do so quietly, without alarming her relatives back home.--> She gave birth to a baby girl in February 1965. Unable to provide for her daughter, Kelly Dale Anderson, she placed her for adoption. The experience remained private for most of Mitchell's career, although she alluded to it in several songs, such as "[[Little Green (song)|Little Green]]", which she performed in the 1960s and recorded for the 1971 album ''[[Blue (Joni Mitchell album)|Blue]]''. In "Chinese Cafe", from the 1982 album ''[[Wild Things Run Fast]]'', Mitchell sang, "Your kids are coming up straight / My child's a stranger / I bore her / But I could not raise her."

The existence of Mitchell's daughter was not publicly known until 1993, when a roommate from Mitchell's art school days in the 1960s sold the story of the adoption to a tabloid magazine.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-04-08-ls-46389-story.html|title=Both sides at last|first=Bill|last=Higgins|date=April 8, 1997|access-date=November 27, 2011|work=Los Angeles Times|archive-date=January 11, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111161743/http://articles.latimes.com/1997-04-08/news/ls-46389_1_joni-mitchell|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Pertman|first=Adam|title=Adoption Nation: How the Adoption Revolution is Transforming Our Families – and America|url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=RzCLgIfmegMC|page=289}}|access-date=November 27, 2011|date=March 16, 2011|publisher=Harvard Common Press|isbn=978-1-55832-716-0|pages=289–}}</ref> By that time, Mitchell's daughter, renamed Kilauren Gibb, had already begun a search for her biological parents. Mitchell and her daughter met in 1997.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Johnson |first=Brian D |url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/joni-mitchells-secret/ |title=Joni Mitchell's Secret |magazine=Maclean's |date=April 21, 1997 |access-date=March 9, 2007 |archive-date=May 31, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200531091111/https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/joni-mitchells-secret |url-status=live }}</ref> After the reunion, Mitchell said that she lost interest in songwriting, and she later identified her daughter's birth and her inability to take care of her as the moment when her songwriting inspiration had begun.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-sep-05-ca-hilburn5-story.html |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608185547/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-sep-05-ca-hilburn5-story.html |archive-date=June 8, 2021 |title=An art born of pain, an artist in happy exile |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=September 5, 2004 |first=Robert |last=Hilburn |author-link=Robert Hilburn |access-date=September 1, 2023}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

A few weeks after the birth of her daughter, Mitchell was playing gigs again around Yorkville, often with a friend, Vicky Taylor, and was beginning to sing original material for the first time, written with her unique open tunings. In March and April she found work at the Penny Farthing, a folk club in Toronto. There she met New York City-born American folk singer Charles Scott "Chuck" Mitchell, from [[Michigan]]. Chuck was immediately attracted to her and impressed by her performance, and he told her that he could get her steady work in the coffeehouses he knew in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=4256|title=Jason Schneider, "Joni: A New Voice", ''Songwriters Magazine''|website=Jonimitchell.com|access-date=October 28, 2020|archive-date=August 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811225329/https://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=4256|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- In one interview,{{where?|date=February 2018}} Mitchell claimed she married Chuck only 36 hours after they met, but it is unclear if they were ever married in Toronto. -->

Mitchell left Canada for the first time in late April 1965. She travelled with Chuck Mitchell to the US, where they began playing music together.<ref name="GIGS" /> Joni, 21 years old, married Chuck in an official ceremony in his hometown in June 1965 and took his surname. She said, "I made my dress and bridesmaids' dresses. We had no money{{nbsp}}... I walked down the aisle brandishing my daisies."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=1282|title=JoniMitchell.com Library: Joni Mitchell: Word, March 2005|website=Jonimitchell.com|access-date=November 26, 2014|archive-date=March 5, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305070101/http://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=1282|url-status=live}}</ref> Mitchell is both a Canadian and US citizen.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fischer |first=Doug |date=October 7, 2006 |title=Joni Mitchell's Fighting Words |url=https://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=1460 |quote=And while she still sees herself as a Canadian first – she is now both a Canadian and U.S. citizen – Ms. Mitchell believes the country is sliding dangerously close to assimilation with the U.S., politically, economically and culturally. |access-date=March 9, 2022 |archive-date=March 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329033929/http://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=1460 |url-status=live }}</ref>

While living at the Verona apartments in Detroit's [[Cass Corridor]], the couple regularly performed at area coffee houses, including the Chess Mate on Livernois, near Six Mile Road; the Alcove bar, near [[Wayne State University]]; the Rathskeller, a restaurant on the campus of the [[University of Detroit]]; and the Raven Gallery in [[Southfield, Michigan|Southfield]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hourdetroit.com/Hour-Detroit/March-2009/Sixties-Folklore/|title=Sixties Folklore|work=Hour Detroit|date=March 2009|first=George|last=Bulanda|access-date=June 14, 2013|archive-date=October 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121028191239/http://www.hourdetroit.com/Hour-Detroit/March-2009/Sixties-Folklore/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.thevarsitynews.net/news/view.php/104192/From-The-VN-Archives-Stars-like-Joni-Mit |title=From The VN Archives: Stars like Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt polished their talents at Chessmate coffeehouse blocks from campus |last=Grant |first=Cody |date=March 2, 2011 |website=The Varsity News |access-date=April 3, 2018 |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140919/http://www.thevarsitynews.net/news/view.php/104192/From-The-VN-Archives-Stars-like-Joni-Mit |url-status=live }}</ref> She began playing and composing songs in alternative guitar tunings taught to her by a fellow musician, [[Eric Andersen]], in Detroit.{{sfnp|Monk|2012|p=68|ps=}} [[Oscar Brand]] featured her several times on his CBC television program ''[[Let's Sing Out]]'' in 1965 and 1966. The marriage and partnership of Joni and Chuck Mitchell ended with their divorce in early 1967, and she moved to New York City to follow her musical path as a solo artist. She played venues up and down the East Coast, including [[Philadelphia]], [[Boston]], and [[Fort Bragg, North Carolina]]. She performed frequently in coffeehouses and [[folk clubs]] and, by this time creating her own material, became well known for her unique songwriting and innovative guitar style.

===1968–1969: Breakthrough with ''Song to a Seagull'' and ''Clouds''===
Folk singer [[Tom Rush]] had met Mitchell in Toronto and was impressed with her songwriting ability. He took "Urge for Going" to the popular folk artist [[Judy Collins]], but she was not interested in the song at the time, so Rush recorded it himself. Country singer [[George Hamilton IV]] heard Rush performing it and recorded a hit country version. Other artists who recorded Mitchell's songs in the early years were Sainte-Marie ("The Circle Game"), [[Dave Van Ronk]] ("[[Both Sides Now]]"), and eventually Collins ("Both Sides Now", a top ten hit for her, and "Michael from Mountains", were both included on her 1967 album ''[[Wildflowers (Judy Collins album)|Wildflowers]]''). Collins also covered "Chelsea Morning", another recording that eclipsed Mitchell's own commercial success early on.

While Mitchell was playing one night in 1967 in the Gaslight South,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=1357 |title=A Conversation with David Crosby |publisher=JoniMitchell.com/JMDL Library |date=March 15, 1997 |access-date=February 21, 2011 |archive-date=May 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513074441/http://www.jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=1357 |url-status=live }}</ref> a club in [[Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida|Coconut Grove]], Florida, [[David Crosby]] walked in and was immediately struck by her ability and her appeal as an artist.{{sfnp|Monk|2012|p=74|ps=}} She accompanied him back to Los Angeles, where he set about introducing her and her music to his friends. Soon she was being managed by [[Elliot Roberts]], who, after being urged by Sainte-Marie, had first seen her play in a Greenwich Village coffee house.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=2558 |title=A Conversation with Buffy Sainte-Marie |publisher=JoniMitchell.com/JMDL Library |date=March 6, 2013 |access-date=October 31, 2018 |archive-date=October 31, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181031214915/http://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=2558 |url-status=live }}</ref> He had a close business association with [[David Geffen]].<ref>Tom King, ''The Operator: David Geffen Builds, Buys, and Sells the New Hollywood'', p. 71, Broadway Books (New York 2001).</ref> Roberts and Geffen were to have important influences on her career. She was signed to the Warners-affiliated [[Reprise Records|Reprise]] label by talent scout [[Andy Wickham]].<ref>[http://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=312 Fong-Torres, Ben, ''Rolling Stone'' interview with Joni Mitchell, May 17, 1969] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190126000740/http://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=312 |date=January 26, 2019 }} "[I]n the fall of 1967, she met ... Andy Wickham. He signed her to Reprise."</ref> Crosby convinced Reprise to let Mitchell record a solo acoustic album without the folk-rock overdubs in vogue at that time, and his clout earned him a producer's credit in March 1968, when Reprise released her debut album, known either as ''Joni Mitchell'' or ''[[Song to a Seagull]]''.

Mitchell toured steadily to promote the LP. The tour helped create eager anticipation for Mitchell's second LP, ''[[Clouds (Joni Mitchell album)|Clouds]]'', which was released in April 1969. This album contained Mitchell's own versions of some of her songs already recorded and performed by other artists: "[[Chelsea Morning]]", "Both Sides, Now", and "Tin Angel". The covers of both LPs, including a self-portrait on ''Clouds'', were designed and painted by Mitchell, a blending of her painting and music that she continued throughout her career.

===1970–1972: ''Ladies of the Canyon'' and ''Blue''===
[[File:Laurel Canyon, 8217 Lookout Mountain Avenue.jpg|thumb|right|Laurel Canyon, 8217 Lookout Mountain Avenue, Joni Mitchell's house from 1969 to 1974; photograph taken in 2022]]
In March 1970, ''Clouds'' produced her first [[Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording|Grammy Award for Best Folk Performance]]. The following month, Reprise released her third album, ''[[Ladies of the Canyon (album)|Ladies of the Canyon]]''. Mitchell's sound was already beginning to expand beyond the confines of acoustic folk music and toward pop and rock, with more overdubs, percussion, and backing vocals, and for the first time, many songs composed on piano, which became a hallmark of Mitchell's style in her most popular era. Her own version of "[[Woodstock (song)|Woodstock]]", slower than the cover by [[Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young]], was performed solo on a [[Wurlitzer electric piano]]. The album also included the already-familiar song "The Circle Game" and the environmental anthem "[[Big Yellow Taxi]]", with its famous line, "they paved paradise and put up a parking lot."

''Ladies of the Canyon'' was an instant smash on [[FM radio]] and sold briskly, eventually becoming Mitchell's first gold album (selling over a half million copies). She made a decision to stop touring for a year and just write and paint, yet she was still voted "Top Female Performer" for 1970 by ''[[Melody Maker]]'', a leading UK pop music magazine. On the April 1971 release of [[James Taylor]]'s ''[[Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon]]'' album, Mitchell is credited with backup vocals on the track "[[You've Got a Friend]]". The songs she wrote during the months she took off for travel and life experience appeared on her next album, ''[[Blue (Joni Mitchell album)|Blue]]'', released in June 1971. Comparing Joni Mitchell's talent to his own, David Crosby said, "By the time she did ''Blue'', she was past me and rushing toward the horizon".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122575310809894821 |title=A 65th Birthday Tribute to Joni Mitchell |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=November 4, 2008 |first=Jim |last=Fusilli |author-link=Jim Fusilli |access-date=March 27, 2015 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402184143/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122575310809894821 |url-access=subscription}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

''Blue'' was an almost instant critical and commercial success, peaking in the top 20 of the ''Billboard'' albums chart in September and also hitting the British Top 3. The lushly produced "[[Carey (song)|Carey]]" was the single at the time, but musically, other parts of ''Blue'' departed further from the sounds of ''Ladies of the Canyon''. Simpler, rhythmic acoustic parts allowed a focus on Mitchell's voice and emotions ("All I Want", "[[A Case of You (song)|A Case of You]]"), while others such as "[[Blue (Joni Mitchell song)|Blue]]", "[[River (Joni Mitchell song)|River]]" and "[[The Last Time I Saw Richard]]" were sung to her rolling piano accompaniment. Her most [[confessional poetry|confessional]] album, Mitchell later said of ''Blue'', "I have, on occasion, sacrificed myself and my own emotional makeup,&nbsp;... singing 'I'm selfish and I'm sad', for instance. We all suffer for our loneliness, but at the time of ''Blue'', our pop stars never admitted these things."<ref name="shumway">{{cite book|url=http://muse.jhu.edu/books/9781421413938|title=Rock Star: The Making of Musical Icons from Elvis to Springsteen|last=Shumway|first=David R.|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|year=2014|isbn=978-1-4214-1392-1|pages=159|access-date=July 19, 2015|archive-date=July 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722002222/http://muse.jhu.edu/books/9781421413938|url-status=live}}</ref> In its lyrics, the album was regarded as an inspired culmination of her early work, with depressed assessments of the world around her serving as counterpoint to exuberant expressions of romantic love (for example, in "[[California (Joni Mitchell song)|California]]"). Mitchell later remarked, "At that period of my life, I had no personal defenses. I felt like a cellophane wrapper on a pack of cigarettes. I felt like I had absolutely no secrets from the world and I couldn't pretend in my life to be strong."<ref name="crowe" />

===1972–1975: ''For the Roses'' and ''Court and Spark''===
[[File:Joni Mitchell in 1974.jpg|thumb|right|Mitchell performing at the Anaheim Convention Center in 1974]]
Mitchell decided to return to the live stage after the great success of ''Blue'', and she presented new songs on tour which appeared on her next album, her fifth, ''[[For the Roses]]''. The album was released in October 1972 and immediately zoomed up the charts. She followed with the single, "[[You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio]]", which peaked at No. 25 in the ''Billboard'' charts in February 1973.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/joni-mitchell/chart-history/hsi/|title=Joni Mitchell {{!}} chart history|magazine=Billboard|access-date=June 11, 2019|archive-date=November 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106064334/https://www.billboard.com/music/joni-mitchell/chart-history/hot-100/song/581390|url-status=live}}</ref>

''[[Court and Spark]]'', released in January 1974, saw Mitchell begin the flirtation with [[jazz]] and [[jazz fusion]] that marked her experimental period ahead. ''Court and Spark'' went to No. 1 on the ''Cashbox'' Album Charts. The LP made Mitchell a widely popular act for perhaps the only time in her career, on the strength of popular tracks such as the rocker "[[Raised on Robbery]]", which was released right before Christmas 1973, and "[[Help Me (Joni Mitchell song)|Help Me]]", which was released in March of the following year, and became Mitchell's only Top 10 single when it peaked at No. 7 in the first week of June. "[[Free Man in Paris]]" was another hit single and staple in her catalogue.

While recording ''Court and Spark'', Mitchell had tried to make a clean break with her earlier folk sound, producing the album herself and employing jazz/pop [[fusion (music)|fusion]] band the [[L.A. Express]] as what she called her first real backing group. In February 1974, her tour with the L.A. Express began, and they received rave notices as they travelled across the United States and Canada during the next two months. A series of shows at L.A.'s [[Universal Amphitheater]] from August 14–17 were recorded for a live album. In November, Mitchell released that album, ''[[Miles of Aisles]]'', a two-record set including all but two songs from the L.A. concerts (one selection each from the [[Berkeley Community Theatre]], on March 2, and the L.A. Music Center, on March 4, were also included in the set). The live album slowly moved up to No. 2, matching ''Court and Spark''{{'}}s chart peak on ''Billboard''. "Big Yellow Taxi", the live version, was also released as a single and did reasonably well (she released another version of the song in 2007).

In January 1975, ''Court and Spark'' received four nominations for Grammy Awards, including [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year]], for which Mitchell was the only woman nominated. She won only the [[Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals]].

===1975–1977: ''The Hissing of Summer Lawns'' and ''Hejira''===
[[File:Joni Mitchell (1975).png|thumb|right|Mitchell in 1975|231x231px]]
Mitchell went into the studio in early 1975 to record acoustic demos of some songs that she had written since the ''Court and Spark'' tour. A few months later she recorded versions of the tunes with her band. Her musical interests were diverging from both the folk and the pop scene of the era, toward less structured, more jazz-inspired pieces, with a wider range of instruments. The new song cycle was released in November 1975 as ''[[The Hissing of Summer Lawns]]''. On "The Jungle Line", she made an early effort at [[sample (music)|sampling]] a recording of African musicians, something that became more commonplace among Western rock acts in the 1980s. "In France They Kiss on Main Street" continued the lush pop sounds of ''Court and Spark'', and efforts such as the title song and "Edith and the Kingpin" chronicled the underbelly of suburban lives in Southern California.

During 1975, Mitchell also participated in several concerts in the [[Rolling Thunder Revue tours]] featuring [[Bob Dylan]] and [[Joan Baez]], and in 1976 she performed as part of ''[[The Last Waltz]]'' by [[the Band]]. In January 1976, Mitchell received a nomination for the [[Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance]] for the album ''The Hissing of Summer Lawns'', though the 1976 Grammy for that category went to [[Linda Ronstadt]].

In early 1976, Mitchell travelled with friends who were driving cross country to Maine. Afterwards, she drove back to California alone and composed several songs during her journey which featured on her next album, 1976's ''[[Hejira (album)|Hejira]]''. She stated that "This album was written mostly while I was traveling in the car. That's why there were no piano songs&nbsp;..."<ref name="crowe" /> ''Hejira'' was arguably Mitchell's most experimental album so far, owing to her ongoing collaborations with jazz virtuoso bass guitarist [[Jaco Pastorius]] on several songs, namely the first single, "[[Coyote (song)|Coyote]]", the atmospheric "Hejira", the disorienting, guitar-heavy "Black Crow", and the album's last song "Refuge of the Roads". The album climbed to No. 13 on the Billboard Charts, reaching gold status three weeks after release, and received airplay from album-oriented FM rock stations. Yet "Coyote", backed with "Blue Motel Room", failed to chart on the Hot 100. ''Hejira'' "did not sell as briskly as Mitchell's earlier, more 'radio-friendly' albums, [but] its stature in her catalogue has grown over the years".<ref name="ottawa">{{cite news |last=Fischer |first=Doug |url=http://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=1459 |title=The trouble she's seen: Doug Fischer talks to Joni Mitchell about her seminal album, Hejira |work=The Ottawa Citizen |date=October 8, 2006 |access-date=March 9, 2007 |archive-date=December 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208145005/http://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=1459 |url-status=live }}</ref> Mitchell herself believes the album to be unique. In 2006 she said, "I suppose a lot of people could have written a lot of my other songs, but I feel the songs on ''Hejira'' could only have come from me."<ref name="ottawa" />

===1977–1980: ''Don Juan's Reckless Daughter'' and ''Mingus''===
{{See also|Joni Mitchell blackface controversy}}
[[File:Joni_Mitchell_in_blackface.png|thumb|right|Mitchell in blackface while performing "Furry Sings the Blues" during her 1980 concert film ''[[Shadows and Light (Joni Mitchell album)|Shadows and Light]]''.]] 
In mid-1977, Mitchell began work on new recordings that became her first double studio album, ''[[Don Juan's Reckless Daughter]]''. Close to completing her contract with Asylum Records, Mitchell felt that this album could be looser in feel than any album she had done in the past. She invited Pastorius back, and he brought with him fellow members of jazz fusion pioneers [[Weather Report]], including drummer [[Don Alias]] and saxophonist [[Wayne Shorter]]. Layered, atmospheric compositions such as "Overture/Cotton Avenue" featured more improvisatory collaboration, while "Paprika Plains" was a 16-minute epic that stretched the boundaries of pop, owing more to Mitchell's memories of childhood in Canada and her study of classical music. "Dreamland" and "The Tenth World", featuring [[Chaka Khan]] on backing vocals, were percussion-dominated tracks. Other songs continued the jazz-rock-folk collisions of ''Hejira''. Mitchell also revived "Jericho", written years earlier (a version is found on her 1974 live album) but never recorded in a studio setting. The album was released in December 1977, receiving mixed reviews but selling relatively well, peaking at No. 25 in the US and going gold within three months. 

Mitchell wore [[blackface]] and a [[pimp]] outfit on the album cover, [[Joni Mitchell blackface controversy|one of the most controversial moments of her career]] that has been widely criticized as racist.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Resnikoff |first1=Paul |title=Joni Mitchell Faces Accusations of Racism as Blackface Images Resurface |url=https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2022/02/03/joni-mitchell-joe-rogan-controversy/ |access-date=September 5, 2024 |work=Digital Music News |date=February 3, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Hall |first1=James |title=The strange story behind Joni Mitchell's 'outrageous' blackface experiment |url=https://jonimitchell.com/library/print.cfm?id=5598 |access-date=September 5, 2024 |work=The Telegraph |date=November 8, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Grier |first1=Miles Parks |title=The Only Black Man at the Party |url=https://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=2532 |access-date=September 5, 2024 |work=Genders Journal |issue=September 2012}}</ref> She called her blackface alter ego "[[Art Nouveau]]", inspired by a black man who once complimented her while walking down an LA street. She wore blackface several more times throughout her career and has consistently defended her use of it as late as 2017. However, in 2024, the album cover art on streaming services and physical reissues was changed to a photo of Mitchell’s face seemingly inside the open mouth of a wolflike dog, an outtake from the 1985 photo sessions for the later album ''[[Dog_Eat_Dog_(Joni_Mitchell_album)|Dog Eat Dog]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://store.jonimitchell.com/en/joni-mitchell/music/don-juans-reckless-daughter-2024-remaster-%5B2lp%5D/603497826698.html|title=Don Juan's Reckless Daughter (2024 Remaster) [2LP]|website=Joni Mitchell - Official Store}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Asylum Albums (1976-1980) [5CD] |url=https://store.jonimitchell.com/en/joni-mitchell/music/the-asylum-albums-1976-1980-%5B5cd%5D/603497827015.html |website=Joni Mitchell.com Store |access-date=September 5, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Don Juan's Reckless Daughter (2024 Remaster) [2LP] |url=https://store.jonimitchell.com/en/joni-mitchell/music/don-juans-reckless-daughter-2024-remaster-%5B2lp%5D/603497826698.html |website=Joni Mitchell.com Store |access-date=September 5, 2024}}</ref> No announcement was made about the change nor any official reason given, and Mitchell has not commented on the matter.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bond |first1=Nick |title=Fresh controversy around Joni Mitchell's infamous 'blackface' album cover |url=https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/fresh-controversy-around-joni-mitchells-infamous-blackface-album-cover/news-story/a9fdf0d4fb5adca3b98f0481fde69307 |access-date=September 5, 2024 |work=News.com.au |date=June 6, 2024}}</ref>

A few months after the release of ''Don Juan's Reckless Daughter'', Mitchell was contacted by the esteemed jazz composer, bandleader and bassist [[Charles Mingus]], who had heard the orchestrated song "Paprika Plains", and wanted her to work with him. She began a collaboration with Mingus, who died before the project was completed in 1979. She finished the tracks, and the resulting album, ''[[Mingus (Joni Mitchell album)|Mingus]]'', was released in June 1979, though it was poorly received in the press. Fans were confused over such a major change in Mitchell's overall sound, and though the album topped out at No. 17 on the ''Billboard'' albums chart—a higher placement than ''Don Juan's Reckless Daughter''—''Mingus'' still fell short of gold status, making it her first album since the 1960s not to sell at least half a million copies.

Mitchell's tour to promote ''Mingus'' began in August 1979 in Oklahoma City and concluded six weeks later with five shows at Los Angeles' [[Greek Theatre (Los Angeles)|Greek Theatre]] and one at the [[Santa Barbara Bowl|Santa Barbara County Bowl]], where she recorded and filmed the concert. It was her first tour in several years, and with Pastorius, jazz guitarist [[Pat Metheny]], and other members of her band, Mitchell also performed songs from her other jazz-inspired albums. When the tour ended she began a year of work, turning the tapes from the Santa Barbara County Bowl show into a two-album set and a concert film, both to be called ''[[Shadows and Light (Joni Mitchell album)|Shadows and Light]]''. Her final release on Asylum Records and her second live double album, it was released in September 1980, and made it up to No. 38 on the ''Billboard'' charts. A single from the LP, "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?", Mitchell's duet with [[The Persuasions]] (her opening act for the tour), bubbled under on ''Billboard'', just missing the Hot 100.

===1981–1987: ''Wild Things Run Fast'', ''Dog Eat Dog'', and second marriage===
For a year and a half, Mitchell worked on the tracks for her next album.

While the album was being readied for release, her friend [[David Geffen]], founder of [[Asylum Records]], decided to start a new label, [[Geffen Records]]. Still distributed by Warner Bros. (who controlled Asylum Records), Geffen negated the remaining contractual obligations Mitchell had with Asylum and signed her to his new label. ''[[Wild Things Run Fast]]'' (1982) marked a return to pop songwriting, including "Chinese Cafe/[[Unchained Melody]]", which incorporated the chorus and parts of the melody of the famous [[The Righteous Brothers]] hit, and "[[(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care]]", a remake of the [[Elvis]] chestnut, which charted higher than any Mitchell single since her 1970s sales peak when it climbed to No. 47 on the charts. The album peaked on the ''Billboard'' charts in its fifth week at No. 25. During this period she recorded with bassist and sound engineer [[Larry Klein]], whom she married in 1982.
[[File:Joni Mitchell 1983.jpg|left|thumb|upright|Mitchell performing in 1983]]

In early 1983, Mitchell began her "Refuge" world tour,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.jonimitchell.com/chronology/tour.cfm?id=7 | title=Joni Mitchell - A Chronology of Appearances }}</ref> visiting Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Scandinavia and then going back to the United States. A performance from the tour was videotaped and later released on home video (and later DVD) as ''Refuge of the Roads''. As 1984 ended, Mitchell was writing new songs when she received a suggestion from Geffen that perhaps an outside producer with experience in the modern technical arenas that they wanted to explore might be a worthy addition. Mitchell hired the British [[synthpop]] musician [[Thomas Dolby]] to assist with synthesizers and production, but found working with him difficult: "I was reluctant when Thomas was suggested because he had been asked to produce the record [by Geffen], and would he consider coming in as just a programmer and a player? So on that level we did have some problems&nbsp;... He may be able to do it faster. He may be able to do it better, but the fact is that it then wouldn't really be my music."<ref>{{cite news |last=Jackson |first=Alan |date=November 30, 1985 |title=Joni Mitchell |work=[[New Musical Express]] |url=http://www.jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=661 |url-status=live |access-date=April 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140430062307/http://www.jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=661 |archive-date=April 30, 2014}}</ref>

''[[Dog Eat Dog (Joni Mitchell album)|Dog Eat Dog]]'', released in October 1985, was only a moderate seller, reaching No. 63 on ''Billboard''{{'}}s Top Albums Chart, Mitchell's lowest chart position since her first album peaked at No. 189 almost eighteen years before. One of the songs on the album, "Tax Free", created controversy by lambasting "[[televangelist]]s" and what she saw as a drift to the [[Christian right|religious right]] in American politics. "The churches came after me", she wrote, "they attacked me, though the [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopalian Church]], which I've seen described as the only church in America which actually uses its head, wrote me a letter of congratulation."<ref name="irishtimes" />

===1988–1993: ''Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm'' and ''Night Ride Home''===
Mitchell continued experimenting with synthesizers, drum machines and sequencers for the recordings of her next album, 1988's ''[[Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm]]''. She also collaborated with artists including [[Willie Nelson]], [[Billy Idol]], [[Wendy & Lisa]], [[Tom Petty]], [[Don Henley]], [[Peter Gabriel]], and [[Benjamin Orr]] of [[the Cars]]. The album's first official single, "[[My Secret Place]]", was a duet with Gabriel, and reached the top 50 on the Canadian singles chart. The song "Lakota" was one of many songs on the album to take on larger political themes, in this case the [[Wounded Knee incident]], the deadly battle between Native American activists and the FBI on [[Pine Ridge Indian Reservation]] in the previous decade. Musically, several songs fit into the trend of [[world music]] popularized by Gabriel during the era. Reviews were mostly favourable towards the album, and the cameos by well-known musicians brought it considerable attention. ''Chalk Mark'' ultimately improved on the chart performance of ''Dog Eat Dog'', peaking at No. 45.

In 1990, Mitchell, who by then rarely performed live, participated in [[Roger Waters]]' ''[[The Wall Concert in Berlin]]''. She performed the song "[[Goodbye Blue Sky]]" and was also one of the performers on the concert's final song "[[The Tide Is Turning]]" along with Waters, [[Cyndi Lauper]], [[Bryan Adams]], [[Van Morrison]] and [[Paul Carrack]].

Throughout the first half of 1990, Mitchell recorded songs that appeared on her next album. She delivered the final mixes for the new album to Geffen just before Christmas, after trying nearly a hundred different sequences for the songs. The album ''[[Night Ride Home]]'' was released in March 1991. In the United States, it premiered on ''Billboard''{{'}}s Top Albums chart at No. 68, moving up to No. 48 in its second week, and peaking at No. 41 in its sixth week. In the United Kingdom, the album premiered at No. 25 on the albums chart. Critically, it was better received than her 1980s work.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Night Ride Home |url=https://ew.com/article/1991/03/01/night-ride-home-2/ |access-date=June 7, 2024 |website=EW.com |language=en}}</ref> This album was also Mitchell's first since Geffen Records was sold to [[MCA Inc.]], meaning that ''Night Ride Home'' was her first album not to be initially distributed by WEA (now [[Warner Music Group]]).

===1994–1999: ''Turbulent Indigo'', ''Taming the Tiger'', and divorce===
[[File:Joni Mitchell pets Buddy in the oval office.jpg|thumb|Mitchell pets [[Bill Clinton|President Clinton]]'s dog [[Buddy (Bill Clinton's dog)|Buddy]] in the [[Oval Office]] in 1998|265x265px]]
To wider audiences, the real return to form for Mitchell came with 1994's [[Grammy]]-winning ''[[Turbulent Indigo]]''. The recording of the album coincided with the end of Mitchell's marriage to musician [[Larry Klein]] after 12 years; Klein was also co-producer of the album.

''Indigo'' was seen as Mitchell's most accessible set of songs in years. Songs such as "Sex Kills", "Sunny Sunday", "Borderline" and "The Magdalene Laundries" mixed social commentary and guitar-focused melodies for "a startling comeback".<ref name="Toronto">{{cite news |last=Gill |first=Alexandra |url=http://www.jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=1575 |title=Joni Mitchell in person |work=The Globe and Mail |date=February 17, 2007 |access-date=March 11, 2007 |format=reprint |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402095944/http://www.jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=1575 |url-status=live}}</ref> The album won two Grammy awards, including Best Pop Album, and it coincided with a much-publicized resurgence in interest in Mitchell's work by a younger generation of singer-songwriters.

In 1996, Mitchell agreed to release a greatest ''[[Hits (Joni Mitchell album)|Hits]]'' collection, despite initial concerns that such a release would damage sales of her catalogue.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=262|title=Joni Mitchell Library – Joni Mitchell offers Hits and Misses: Billboard, August 24, 1996|website=jonimitchell.com}}</ref> Reprise also agreed to release a second album, called ''[[Misses (Joni Mitchell album)|Misses]]'', that would include some of the lesser-known songs from her career. ''Hits'' charted at No. 161 in the US, and achieved gold certification in the UK and Australia. Mitchell also included on ''Hits'', for the first time on an album, her first recording, a version of "Urge for Going" which preceded ''Song to a Seagull'' but was previously released only as a [[B-side]].

[[File:Joni Mitchell and Peter Bogner.jpg|thumb|left|Joni Mitchell and [[Peter Bogner (businessman)|Peter Bogner]] listening to premix of [[Herbie Hancock]]'s ''[[Gershwin's World]]'' ([[Venice Beach, California]], in 1999)|251x251px]]
Two years later, Mitchell released her final set of "original" new work before nearly a decade of other pursuits, 1998's ''[[Taming the Tiger]]''. She promoted ''Tiger'' with a return to regular concert appearances, including a co-headlining tour with [[Bob Dylan]] and [[Van Morrison]].

On the album, Mitchell had played a custom guitar equipped with a [[Roland Corporation|Roland]] hexaphonic pick-up that connected to a Roland VG-8 modelling processor. The device allowed Mitchell to play any of her many alternate tunings without having to re-tune the guitar. The guitar's output, through the VG-8, was transposed to any of her tunings in real-time.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/8477480/joni-mitchell-taming-the-tiger-album|title=Joni Mitchell's 'Taming the Tiger' Turns 20: Why the Spaced-Out Album Deserves More Applause|date=September 29, 2018|first=Morgan|last=Enos|magazine=Billboard|access-date=April 25, 2019|archive-date=April 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430231351/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/8477480/joni-mitchell-taming-the-tiger-album|url-status=live}}</ref>

It was around this time that critics also began to notice a real change in Mitchell's voice, particularly on her older songs; the singer later confirmed the change, explaining that "I'd go to hit a note and there was nothing there".<ref name="renai">{{cite news |last=Eggar |first=Robin |url=http://www.jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=1569 |title=The Renaissance Woman |work=[[The Sunday Times]] |location=UK |date=February 11, 2007 |access-date=March 9, 2007 |format=reprint |archive-date=April 30, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140430062311/http://www.jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=1569 |url-status=live}}</ref> While her more limited range and huskier vocals have sometimes been attributed to her smoking (she was described by journalist Robin Eggar as "one of the world's last great smokers"),<ref name="renai" /> Mitchell believes that the changes in her voice that became noticeable in the 1990s were because of other problems, including vocal nodules, a compressed larynx, and the lingering effects of having had polio.<ref name="renai" /> In an interview in 2004, she denied that "my terrible habits" had anything to do with her more limited range, and pointed out that singers often lose the upper register when they pass fifty. In addition, she contended that her voice had acquired a more interesting and expressive alto range when she could no longer hit the high notes, let alone hold them as she had in her youth.<ref>National Public Radio.</ref>

===2000–2005: ''Both Sides Now'', retirement tour and retrospectives===
The singer's next two albums featured no new songs and, Mitchell has said, were recorded to "fulfill contractual obligations",<ref name="Toronto" /> but on both she attempted to make use of her new vocal range in interpreting familiar material. ''[[Both Sides Now (Joni Mitchell album)|Both Sides Now]]'' (2000) was an album composed mostly of covers of jazz standards, performed with an orchestra, featuring orchestral arrangements by [[Vince Mendoza]]. The album also contained remakes of "A Case of You" and the title track "Both Sides, Now", two early hits transposed down to Mitchell's new dusky, soulful alto range. It received mostly strong reviews and motivated a short national tour, with Mitchell accompanied by a core band featuring her ex-husband Larry Klein on bass plus a local orchestra on each tour stop. Its success led to 2002's ''[[Travelogue (Joni Mitchell album)|Travelogue]]'', a collection of re-workings of her previous songs with lush orchestral accompaniments.

Mitchell stated at the time that ''Travelogue'' would be her final album. In a 2002 interview with ''Rolling Stone'', she voiced discontent with the state of the music industry, describing it as a "cesspool".<ref name="wild" /> Mitchell expressed her dislike of the record industry's dominance and her desire to control her own destiny, possibly by releasing her own music over the Internet.

During the next few years, the only albums Mitchell released were compilations of her earlier work. In 2003, her Geffen recordings were collected in a remastered four-disc box set, ''The Complete Geffen Recordings'', including notes by Mitchell and three previously unreleased tracks. A series of themed compilations of songs from earlier albums were also released: ''The Beginning of Survival'' (2004), ''[[Dreamland (Joni Mitchell album)|Dreamland]]'' (2004), and ''Songs of a Prairie Girl'' (2005), the last of which collected the threads of her Canadian upbringing and which she released after accepting an invitation to the [[Commemorative Medal for the Centennial of Saskatchewan|Saskatchewan Centennial]] concert in Saskatoon. The concert, which featured a tribute to Mitchell, was also attended by [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]]. In the ''Prairie Girl'' liner notes, she wrote that the collection is "my contribution to Saskatchewan's Centennial celebrations".

In the early 1990s, Mitchell signed a deal with [[Random House]] to publish an autobiography.<ref>Dickinson, Chrissie. [http://www.jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=1334 "Court and No Spark"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012164130/http://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=1334 |date=October 12, 2007}} (book review, reprint), ''[[The Washington Post]]'', June 15, 2005. Retrieved on September 25, 2007.</ref> In 1998 she told ''[[The New York Times]]'' that her memoirs were "in the works", that they would be published in as many as four volumes, and that the first line would be "I was the only black man at the party."<ref>[[Neil Strauss|Strauss, Neil]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/04/magazine/the-hissing-of-a-living-legend.html?pagewanted=all "The Hissing of a Living Legend"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630155350/http://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/04/magazine/the-hissing-of-a-living-legend.html?pagewanted=all |date=June 30, 2017}}, ''The New York Times'', October 4, 1998. Retrieved on September 25, 2007.</ref> In 2005, Mitchell said that she was using a tape recorder to get her memories "down in the oral tradition".<ref name="nymag">[[Ethan Brown (journalist)|Brown, Ethan]]. [https://nymag.com/nymetro/arts/music/pop/11888/ "Influences: Joni Mitchell"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200510193040/https://nymag.com/nymetro/arts/music/pop/11888/ |date=May 10, 2020}}, ''[[New York (magazine)|New York]]'', May 9, 2005. Retrieved on September 25, 2007.</ref>

===2006–2010: ''Shine'' and other late recordings===
In an interview with the ''[[The Ottawa Citizen|Ottawa Citizen]]'' in October 2006, Mitchell "revealed that she was recording her first collection of new songs in nearly a decade", but gave few other details.<ref name="ottawa" /> Four months later, in an interview with ''The New York Times'', Mitchell said that the forthcoming album, titled ''[[Shine (Joni Mitchell album)|Shine]]'', was inspired by the war in Iraq and "something her grandson had said while listening to family fighting: 'Bad dreams are good—in the great plan.'"<ref name="nytdance">{{cite news |last=Yaffe |first=David |author-link=David Yaffe (music critic) |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9501E7D6143FF937A35751C0A9619C8B63 |title=DANCE: Working Three Shifts, And Outrage Overtime |work=The New York Times |date=February 4, 2007 |access-date=April 8, 2008 |archive-date=April 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429234801/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9501E7D6143FF937A35751C0A9619C8B63 |url-status=live}}</ref> Early media reports characterized the album as having "a minimal feel&nbsp;... that harks back to [Mitchell's] early work" and a focus on political and environmental issues.<ref name="renai" />

In February 2007, Mitchell returned to [[Calgary]] and served as an advisor for the [[Alberta Ballet Company]] premiere of "The Fiddle and the Drum", a dance choreographed by Jean Grand-Maître to both new and old songs.<ref>From the DVD ''Fiddle and the Drum'' cover</ref> She worked with the French-Canadian TV director Mario Rouleau, well known for work in art and dance for television, such as [[Cirque du Soleil]].<ref>From the cover of the DVD: ''Cirque du Soleil, the concert'', 2015</ref> She also filmed portions of the rehearsals for a documentary that she was working on. Of the flurry of recent activity she quipped, "I've never worked so hard in my life."<ref name="nytdance"/>

In mid-2007, Mitchell's official fan-run site confirmed speculation that she had signed a two-record deal with [[Starbucks]]' [[Hear Music]] label. ''Shine'' was released by the label on September 25, 2007, debuting at number 14 on the ''Billboard'' 200 album chart, her highest chart position in the United States since the release of ''[[Hejira (album)|Hejira]]'' in 1976, over thirty years previously, and at number 36 on the United Kingdom albums chart. On the same day, [[Herbie Hancock]], a longtime associate and friend of Mitchell, released ''[[River: The Joni Letters]]'', an album paying tribute to Mitchell's work. Among the album's contributors were [[Norah Jones]], [[Tina Turner]], [[Leonard Cohen]], and Mitchell herself, who contributed a vocal to the re-recording of "The Tea Leaf Prophecy (Lay Down Your Arms)" (originally on her album ''[[Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm]]'').<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.herbiehancock.com/news/story.php?sid=59|title=Herbie Hancock's "River: The Joni Letters" Set For Release on September 25th|date=August 1, 2007|website=HerbieHancock.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080430185737/http://www.herbiehancock.com/news/story.php?sid=59|archive-date=April 30, 2008|access-date=December 8, 2014}}</ref> On February 10, 2008, Hancock's recording won Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards. It was the first time in 43 years that a jazz artist had taken the top prize at the annual award ceremony. In accepting the award, Hancock paid tribute to Mitchell as well as to [[Miles Davis]] and [[John Coltrane]]. At the same ceremony Mitchell won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Pop Performance for the opening track, "One Week Last Summer", from her album ''Shine''.

In 2009, Mitchell stated she had the skin condition [[Morgellons]]<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/269369/joni-mitchell-hopes-to-spread-fiddle|title=Joni Mitchell Hopes To Spread 'Fiddle'|magazine=Billboard|first=Gary |last=Graff |author-link=Gary Graff |date=February 20, 2009|access-date=February 21, 2011|archive-date=June 4, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130604210522/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/269369/joni-mitchell-hopes-to-spread-fiddle|url-status=live}}</ref> and that she would leave the music industry to work toward giving more credibility to people who suffer from Morgellons.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-et-jonimitchell-20100422,0,5684541.story?page=2 | work=[[Los Angeles Times]] | title=It's a Joni Mitchell concert, sans Joni | first=Matt | last=Diehl | date=April 22, 2010 | access-date=April 17, 2020 | archive-date=January 28, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110128095435/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-et-jonimitchell-20100422,0,5684541.story?page=2 | url-status=live }}</ref>

In a 2010 interview with the ''Los Angeles Times'', Mitchell was quoted as saying that singer-songwriter [[Bob Dylan]], with whom she had worked closely in the past, was a fake and a [[plagiarism|plagiarist]]. The controversial remark was widely reported by other media.<ref name="Mitchell: Dylan's a fake">{{cite news |title=Mitchell: Dylan's a 'fake' |url=http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/36741933 |url-status=dead |work=NBC Today Show |access-date=October 14, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100918210308/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/36741933/ |archive-date=September 18, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Michaels |first=Sean |author-link=Sean Michaels (writer) |title=Bob Dylan is 'a plagiarist', claims Joni Mitchell |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/apr/23/bob-dylan-joni-mitchell |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=April 23, 2010 |access-date=December 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127141008/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/apr/23/bob-dylan-joni-mitchell |archive-date=November 27, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Mitchell did not explain the contention further, but several media outlets speculated that it may have related to the allegations of plagiarism surrounding some lyrics on Dylan's 2006 album ''[[Modern Times (Bob Dylan album)|Modern Times]]''.<ref name="Mitchell: Dylan's a fake"/> In a 2013 interview with [[Jian Ghomeshi]], she was asked about the comments and responded by denying that she had made the statement. She also mentioned the allegations of plagiarism that arose over the lyrics to Dylan's 2001 album ''[[Love and Theft (Bob Dylan album)|Love and Theft]]'', in the general context of the flow and ebb of the creative process of artists.<ref>{{cite web |title=Exclusive: Joni Mitchell talks to Jian Ghomeshi about death, hippies, art and getting 'Banffed' |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/joni-mitchell-reflects-on-her-life-and-legacy-1.1307145 |publisher=[[CBC Music]] |date=June 6, 2013 |access-date=August 28, 2023}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===2010–2022: health problems, recovery, and archival projects===
{{Further|Joni Mitchell Archives}}
[[File:2013 Joni Mitchell.jpg|thumb|Mitchell in 2013]]
Although Mitchell said that she would no longer tour or give concerts, she made occasional public appearances to speak on environmental issues.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.commonwealthclub.org/archive/05/05-04mitchell-audio.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060515110819/http://www.commonwealthclub.org/archive/05/05-04mitchell-audio.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 15, 2006 |title=Joni Mitchell Audio |publisher=Commonwealthclub.org |access-date=February 21, 2011}}</ref> Mitchell divides her time between her longtime home in Los Angeles, and the {{convert|80|acre|adj=on}} property in [[Sechelt, British Columbia]], that she has owned since the early 1970s. "L.A. is my workplace", she said in 2006, "B.C. is my heartbeat".<ref>{{cite web |last=Fischer |first=Doug |date=October 7, 2006 |title=Joni Mitchell's Fighting Words |url=http://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=1460 |publisher=Jonimitchell.com |access-date=February 21, 2011 |archive-date=April 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110424113535/http://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=1460 |url-status=live}}</ref> Since 2011, she said she focuses mainly on her visual art, which she does not sell and displays only on rare occasions.<ref>{{cite web |title=Joni Mitchell |url=http://jonimitchell.com/contact.cfm |publisher=JoniMitchell.com |access-date=February 21, 2011 |archive-date=April 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110425051238/http://jonimitchell.com/contact.cfm |url-status=live}}</ref>

In March 2015, Mitchell suffered a [[brain aneurysm]] rupture,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/joni-mitchell-suffered-a-brain-aneurysm-sources/ar-BBkop3p?ocid=ansBillboard11|title=Joni Mitchell Suffered a Brain Aneurysm: Sources|author=Billboard staff|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=May 29, 2015|access-date=May 29, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530182931/http://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/joni-mitchell-suffered-a-brain-aneurysm-sources/ar-BBkop3p?ocid=ansBillboard11|archive-date=May 30, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> which required her to undergo physical therapy<ref>{{cite web|title=Joni Mitchell has made 'remarkable progress', says lawyer|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-33439922|website=BBC News|date=July 7, 2015|access-date=November 29, 2015|archive-date=November 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117063252/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-33439922|url-status=live}}</ref> and take part in daily rehabilitation.<ref>{{cite web|title=Joni Mitchell 'making progress' says friend Judy Collins|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-34580319|website=BBC News|date=October 20, 2015|access-date=October 31, 2015|archive-date=October 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151030113433/http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-34580319|url-status=live}}</ref> Mitchell made her first public appearance following the aneurysm when she attended a [[Chick Corea]] concert in Los Angeles in August 2016.<ref>{{cite web|title=Joni Mitchell attends gig as she continues recovery from aneurysm|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/aug/22/joni-mitchell-gig-recovery-aneurysm-la-chick-corea-concert|website=The Guardian|access-date=March 16, 2017|date=August 22, 2016|archive-date=March 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316210232/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/aug/22/joni-mitchell-gig-recovery-aneurysm-la-chick-corea-concert|url-status=live}}</ref> She made a few other appearances,<ref>{{cite web |first1=Colin |last1=Stutz |first2=Shirley |last2=Halperin |url=https://www.aol.com/article/entertainment/2017/02/12/joni-mitchell-clive-davis-pre-grammys-gala/21712361/ |title=Joni Mitchell, escorted by Cameron Crowe, attends Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329051343/https://www.aol.com/article/entertainment/2017/02/12/joni-mitchell-clive-davis-pre-grammys-gala/21712361/ |archive-date=March 29, 2017 |via=[[AOL]] |date=February 12, 2017 |agency=Billboard}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/names/2018/06/04/joni-mitchell-makes-rare-public-appearance-james-taylor-show-los-angeles/t9eilISLnEEl7Q8YSCeZQK/story.html|title=Joni Mitchell makes rare public appearance at James Taylor show in Los Angeles|work=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=June 4, 2018|first=Mark|last=Shanahan|access-date=June 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180605061839/https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/names/2018/06/04/joni-mitchell-makes-rare-public-appearance-james-taylor-show-los-angeles/t9eilISLnEEl7Q8YSCeZQK/story.html|archive-date=June 5, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> and in November 2018 David Crosby said that she was learning to walk again.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/nov/15/david-crosby-interview-trump-new-album-tour|title=David Crosby: 'I think right now, it's worse than the 60s'|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=November 15, 2018|first=Rob|last=LeDonne|author-link=Rob LeDonne|access-date=November 15, 2018|archive-date=November 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115122057/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/nov/15/david-crosby-interview-trump-new-album-tour|url-status=live}}</ref>

Since 2018, Mitchell has approved a number of archival projects. In September 2018, Eagle Rock Entertainment released the Murray Lerner-directed documentary ''Both Sides Now: Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970'', which included restored video footage and previously unseen interviews with Mitchell, plus a separate program featuring the complete concert uninterrupted.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sexton|first=Paul|date=July 12, 2018|title=Joni Mitchell's 1970 Isle Of Wight Performance Gets Home Release {{!}} uDiscover|url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/joni-mitchells-1970-isle-wight-performance-gets-home-release/|access-date=February 7, 2021|website=uDiscover Music|language=en-US|archive-date=February 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225234305/https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/joni-mitchells-1970-isle-wight-performance-gets-home-release/|url-status=live}}</ref> On November 2, 2018, Mitchell released an 8-LP vinyl reissue of ''[[Love Has Many Faces (box set)|Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, A Ballet, Waiting to Be Danced]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Joni Mitchell Love Has Many Faces To Debut As Vinyl Boxed Set On November 2 {{!}} Rhino Media|url=http://media.rhino.com/press-release/joni-mitchell-love-has-many-faces-debut-vinyl-boxed-set-november-2|access-date=February 7, 2021|website=media.rhino.com|date=November 2, 2018 |archive-date=February 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214062223/http://media.rhino.com/press-release/joni-mitchell-love-has-many-faces-debut-vinyl-boxed-set-november-2|url-status=live}}</ref> A limited-edition blue vinyl edition of ''Blue'' followed in January 2019.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rhino's "Start Your Ear Off Right" Returns In 2019 With Limited Edition Releases {{!}} Rhino Media|url=http://media.rhino.com/press-release/rhinos-start-your-ear-right-returns-2019-limited-edition-releases|access-date=February 7, 2021|website=media.rhino.com|date=January 8, 2019 |archive-date=April 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414030335/http://media.rhino.com/press-release/rhinos-start-your-ear-right-returns-2019-limited-edition-releases|url-status=live}}</ref>

On November 7, 2018, Mitchell attended the ''[[Joni 75: A Birthday Celebration]]'' concert in Los Angeles. To celebrate her 75th birthday, artists [[Brandi Carlile]], [[Emmylou Harris]], [[James Taylor]], [[Chaka Khan]], [[Graham Nash]], [[Seal (musician)|Seal]], [[Kris Kristofferson]], and others interpreted songs written by Mitchell.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=November 8, 2018 |title=Inside Joni Mitchell's 75th Birthday Celebration |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2018/11/joni-mitchell-75th-birthday-party |access-date=October 28, 2022 |magazine=Vanity Fair |language=en-US |archive-date=December 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221203085152/https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2018/11/joni-mitchell-75th-birthday-party |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://buffalonews.com/2019/04/04/jeff-simon-an-all-star-birthday-party-for-joni-mitchell-and-others/|title=Jeff Simon: An all-star birthday party for Joni Mitchell and others|work=[[The Buffalo News]] |date=April 5, 2019|first=Jeff|last=Simon|access-date=April 5, 2019|archive-date=April 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404231053/https://buffalonews.com/2019/04/04/jeff-simon-an-all-star-birthday-party-for-joni-mitchell-and-others/|url-status=live}}</ref> Fellow Canadian artist [[Diana Krall]] offered two performances. Selections from that night's performances were released on DVD,<ref>{{cite web|title=Joni Mitchell – Joni 75: A Birthday Celebration Available On DVD March 29 From Rhino {{!}} Rhino Media|url=http://media.rhino.com/press-release/joni-mitchell-joni-75-birthday-celebration-available-dvd-march-29-rhino|access-date=February 7, 2021|website=media.rhino.com|date=March 29, 2019 |archive-date=February 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208130947/http://media.rhino.com/press-release/joni-mitchell-joni-75-birthday-celebration-available-dvd-march-29-rhino|url-status=live}}</ref> along with a separate CD release.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Grow|first=Kory|title=Joni Mitchell Tribute Album to Feature Brandi Carlile, James Taylor|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/joni-mitchell-tribute-album-brandi-carlile-james-taylor-790243/|date=February 5, 2019|access-date=February 7, 2021|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|archive-date=April 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414052947/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/joni-mitchell-tribute-album-brandi-carlile-james-taylor-790243/|url-status=live}}</ref> A vinyl edition of the album was released for Record Store Day in April 2019.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=February 7, 2021|archive-date=January 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117094348/https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/11830|title=RSDBF '19 Special Release: Various Artists – Joni 75 A Joni Mitchell Birthday Celebration|url=https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/11830|url-status=live}}</ref> Mitchell later attended another tribute concert, Songs Are Like Tattoos, which featured ''Joni 75'' participant [[Brandi Carlile]] performing Mitchell's ''Blue'' album in full.<ref>{{cite web|last=Willman|first=Chris|date=October 15, 2019|title=Brandi Carlile Gets Red-Hot and 'Blue' Saluting Joni Mitchell at Disney Hall|url=https://variety.com/2019/music/news/brandi-carlile-tribute-concert-blue-joni-mitchell-disney-hall-1203371867/|access-date=February 7, 2021|website=Variety|language=en-US|archive-date=February 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214064944/https://variety.com/2019/music/news/brandi-carlile-tribute-concert-blue-joni-mitchell-disney-hall-1203371867/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Mitchell approved ''Joni: The Joni Mitchell Sessions'', a book of photos taken and collected by Norman Seeff, released in November 2018.<ref>{{cite web |title=Joni Mitchell – News Item |url=https://jonimitchell.com/news/newsitem.cfm?id=1148 |access-date=February 7, 2021 |website=jonimitchell.com |archive-date=April 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414054810/https://jonimitchell.com/news/newsitem.cfm?id=1148 |url-status=live }}</ref> Mitchell also revisited her poetry with ''Morning Glory on the Vine'', a collection of facsimile handwritten lyrics, poetry and artwork originally compiled in 1971 as a gift for friends and family.<ref>{{cite web|title=Joni Mitchell – Morning Glory On The Vine – Book|url=https://jonimitchell.com/library/viewmedia.cfm?id=94|access-date=February 7, 2021|website=jonimitchell.com|archive-date=February 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214062438/https://jonimitchell.com/library/viewmedia.cfm?id=94|url-status=live}}</ref> The expanded and reformatted wide-release edition of ''Morning Glory on the Vine'' was published on October 22, 2019, in a standard hardcover edition, as well as a limited signed edition.<ref>{{cite web|title=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Announces a Special Illustrated Work by Joni Mitchell for Fall 2019|url=https://www.hmhco.com/about-us/press-releases/joni-mitchell|access-date=February 7, 2021|website=www.hmhco.com|date=March 11, 2019 |archive-date=February 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214052342/https://www.hmhco.com/about-us/press-releases/joni-mitchell|url-status=live}}</ref>

In September 2020, it was announced that Mitchell and Rhino Records had created the [[Joni Mitchell Archives]], a series of catalogue releases containing material from the singer's personal vaults. The project's first release, a five-disc collection titled ''[[Joni Mitchell Archives – Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963–1967)]]'', followed on October 30, 2020. In April 2022 Mitchell received a Grammy Award for 'Best Historical Album' for this release. She showed up personally to collect the award.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thecut.com/2022/04/joni-mitchell-2022-grammys.html|title=Joni Mitchell Makes Rare Appearance at 2022 Grammys|work=The Cut|date=April 3, 2022|first=Danielle|last=Cohen|access-date=April 4, 2022|archive-date=July 27, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220727082131/https://www.thecut.com/2022/04/joni-mitchell-2022-grammys.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Archived material">{{cite news |last=Zoladz |first=Lindsay |title=Remarkable Records of Joni Mitchell's Changes |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/29/arts/music/joni-mitchell-archives-early-years.html |access-date=October 31, 2020 |agency=New York Times |date=October 29, 2020 |archive-date=October 31, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031060940/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/29/arts/music/joni-mitchell-archives-early-years.html |url-status=live}}</ref> On the same day, Mitchell released ''[[Early Joni – 1963]]'' and ''[[Live at Canterbury House – 1967]]'' (both culled from the 5-CD box set) as standalone vinyl releases.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Stone|first=Sam|date=September 10, 2020|title=Born To Take The Highway: Joni Mitchell's Early Years Celebrated With New Box Set of Unreleased Music, 'Joni Mitchell Archives, Volume 1' – The Second Disc|url=https://theseconddisc.com/2020/09/10/born-to-take-the-highway-joni-mitchells-early-years-celebrated-with-new-box-set-of-unreleased-music-joni-mitchell-archives-volume-1/|access-date=February 7, 2021|website=theseconddisc.com|language=en-US|archive-date=January 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114102137/https://theseconddisc.com/2020/09/10/born-to-take-the-highway-joni-mitchells-early-years-celebrated-with-new-box-set-of-unreleased-music-joni-mitchell-archives-volume-1/|url-status=live}}</ref>

A special remastered collection of Mitchell's first four albums (''[[Song to a Seagull]]'', ''[[Clouds (Joni Mitchell album)|Clouds]]'', ''[[Ladies of the Canyon (album)|Ladies of the Canyon]]'' and ''[[Blue (Joni Mitchell album)|Blue]])'' was released on July 2, 2021, as ''[[The Reprise Albums (1968–1971)]]''. The collection is the first to feature a new mix of Mitchell's 1968 debut album, overseen by Mitchell herself. Commenting on the original mix of ''Song to a Seagull'', Mitchell called it "atrocious" and said it sounded like it "had been recorded under a bowl of [[Jello]]".<ref>{{cite web |title=Joni Mitchell Archives Series Continues |url=https://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=4866 |website=jonimitchell.com |access-date=June 7, 2021 |archive-date=June 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210607070323/https://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=4866 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On January 28, 2022, Mitchell demanded that [[Spotify]] remove her songs from its streaming service in solidarity with her long-time friend and fellow childhood polio survivor [[Neil Young]], who removed his tracks from the streaming platform in protest against [[COVID-19 misinformation]] on the popular Spotify-hosted podcast ''[[The Joe Rogan Experience]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|date=January 29, 2022|title=Joni Mitchell wants songs off Spotify in Covid row|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-60177933|access-date=January 29, 2022|archive-date=August 15, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220815232340/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-60177933|url-status=live}}</ref> She wrote on her website: "Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives. I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue."<ref name=Guardian2022-01-29a>{{Cite news|last=Sherwood|first=Harriet|date=January 29, 2022|title=Joni Mitchell joins Neil Young's Spotify protest over anti-vax content|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jan/29/joni-mitchell-joins-neil-young-in-demanding-spotify-remove-her-music|access-date=January 29, 2022|work=[[The Guardian]]|archive-date=September 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928024933/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jan/29/joni-mitchell-joins-neil-young-in-demanding-spotify-remove-her-music|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jonimitchell.com/news/newsitem.cfm?id=1592|title=I stand with Neil Young!|first=Joni|last=Mitchell|publisher=jonimitchell.com|date=January 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129023543/https://www.jonimitchell.com/news/newsitem.cfm?id=1592|archive-date=January 29, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> British [[National Health Service]] doctor and author [[Rachel Clarke]] [[tweeted]]: "Both Neil Young & Joni Mitchell{{nbsp}}… know painfully well how much harm, suffering & avoidable death [[anti-vaxxer]]s can cause."<ref name=Guardian2022-01-29a/>

On April 1, 2022, Mitchell was honoured as the 2022 MusiCares Person of the Year by the Recording Academy. Mitchell was present at the Awards show accepting the award personally.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2022/04/03/1090490177/generations-sing-to-joni-mitchell-in-pre-grammys-tribute|title=Generations sing to Joni Mitchell in pre-Grammys tribute|publisher=[[NPR]]|date=April 3, 2022|access-date=April 8, 2022|archive-date=August 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819092638/https://www.npr.org/2022/04/03/1090490177/generations-sing-to-joni-mitchell-in-pre-grammys-tribute/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="nme2022">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/watch-joni-mitchell-sing-in-public-for-the-first-time-since-2013-3197176|title=Watch Joni Mitchell sing in public for the first time since 2013|magazine=[[NME]]|first=Matt|last=Doira|date=April 4, 2022|access-date=April 8, 2022|archive-date=October 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006161323/https://www.nme.com/news/music/watch-joni-mitchell-sing-in-public-for-the-first-time-since-2013-3197176|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://boingboing.net/2022/04/06/joni-mitchell-performs-onstage-for-the-first-time-since-2013.html|title=Joni Mitchell performs onstage for the first time since 2013|website=[[Boing Boing]]|first=Gareth|last=Branwyn|author-link=Gareth Branwyn|date=April 6, 2022|access-date=April 8, 2022|archive-date=April 8, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408095749/https://boingboing.net/2022/04/06/joni-mitchell-performs-onstage-for-the-first-time-since-2013.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Since 2022: return to live performance ===
[[File:Joni Mitchell 1143 03.jpg|thumb|upright|Mitchell performing in 2023]]
On July 24, 2022, Joni Mitchell appeared unannounced as a special guest in the closing performance of the final day of the [[Newport Folk Festival]] in [[Rhode Island]], where she had first played in 1967, as part of a set billed as "[[Brandi Carlile]] and Friends".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Powers |first=Ann |author-link=Ann Powers |date=July 25, 2022 |title=Joni Mitchell sings, steals show with surprise Newport Folk Festival concert |language=en |work=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/07/25/1113351769/joni-mitchell-brandi-carlile-newport-folk-festival-2022 |access-date=July 25, 2022 |archive-date=September 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904065333/https://www.npr.org/2022/07/25/1113351769/joni-mitchell-brandi-carlile-newport-folk-festival-2022 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=July 25, 2022 |title=Joni Mitchell makes triumphant surprise return to Newport Folk Festival |language=en |work=CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/joni-mitchell-returns-to-newport-folk-festival/ |access-date=July 26, 2022 |archive-date=September 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904073133/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/joni-mitchell-returns-to-newport-folk-festival/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=July 26, 2022 |title=Joni Mitchell Thanks Brandi Carlile & Newport Folk Festival for Hosting Her First Concert in 20 Years |magazine=Billboard |language=en |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/joni-mitchell-newport-folk-festival-brandi-carlile-1235118055/ |access-date=October 28, 2022 |archive-date=October 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028114500/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/joni-mitchell-newport-folk-festival-brandi-carlile-1235118055/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Supported by a group of well-wisher musicians, she participated in a 13-song set of her own material and covers, including one that she played as a solo on electric guitar.<ref name="Cameron Crowe">{{Cite news |date=July 22, 2023 |title=The inside story of Joni Mitchell's return to the stage |work=The Times Saturday Review |language=en |author=Cameron Crowe }}</ref>

In 2017, Mitchell had been inspired by a music-making visit from an old friend, singer-songwriter [[Eric Andersen]],<ref name="Cameron Crowe"/> to begin hosting monthly music sessions at her home in [[Laurel Canyon]]. The sessions became known as "Joni Jams". Brandi Carlile organized the sessions and recruited musicians, and among those who came over the years to play music and sing in Mitchell's living room were [[Elton John]], [[Paul McCartney]], [[Bonnie Raitt]], [[Harry Styles]], [[Chaka Khan]], [[Marcus Mumford]], [[Herbie Hancock]],<ref name="Carlile">{{Cite news |last=Carlile |first=Brandi |author-link=Brandi Carlile |date=July 29, 2022 |title=After Newport, Joni said 'I was delighted. It gave me the bug for it.' |work=[[The Times]] |language=en |url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/music/article/brandi-carlile-how-i-got-joni-mitchell-back-on-stage-newport-folk-festival-mrrbch90b |access-date=July 29, 2022 |archive-date=August 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817043259/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/brandi-carlile-how-i-got-joni-mitchell-back-on-stage-newport-folk-festival-mrrbch90b |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Jess Wolfe]], [[Holly Laessig]], [[Taylor Goldsmith]], [[Blake Mills]], and [[Hozier]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ryan |first=Patrick |title=Hozier recalls 'super moving' jam session at Joni Mitchell's house: 'We all worship Joni' |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/08/18/hozier-joni-mitchell-brandi-carlile/70623811007/ |access-date=October 1, 2024 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="Cameron Crowe"/> 

Mitchell was delighted by the return of music to her home. The music sessions raised her spirits and assisted her recovery from the serious and disabling aneurysm she had suffered in 2015, and she began to sing in the sessions and learn to play guitar again.<ref name="Cameron Crowe"/> As her health  improved, a return to live performance began to seem possible, plans were cautiously laid, a set list was prepared; and in July 2022, after a rehearsal the night before, Mitchell joined Carlile and others on stage at the Newport Festival for a live Joni Jam, her first public performance in nine years.<ref name="Cameron Crowe"/>

Mitchell was given an ecstatic reception, and she said afterwards, "I was delighted and honoured. It gave me the bug for it."<ref name="Carlile" /> Songs performed included "Carey", "Come in from the Cold", "A Case of You", "Big Yellow Taxi", "Both Sides Now", "The Circle Game"<ref name="Carlile" /> and [[George Gershwin|Gershwin]] and [[DuBose Heyward|Heyward]]'s "[[Summertime (George Gershwin song)|Summertime]]". After her appearance at Newport, Mitchell told Carlile, "I want to do another show. I want to play again."<ref name="billboard2022">{{Cite magazine |date=October 22, 2022 |title=Joni Mitchell Joining Brandi Carlile for Summer 2023 'Echoes Through the Canyon' Shows at The Gorge |magazine=Billboard |language=en |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/joni-mitchell-brandi-carlile-june-2023-concert-the-gorge-1235158464/ |access-date=October 28, 2022 |archive-date=October 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028114458/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/joni-mitchell-brandi-carlile-june-2023-concert-the-gorge-1235158464/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Newport set was released as a [[At Newport (Joni Mitchell album)|live album]] in 2023 and won the Grammy Award for Best Folk Album in 2024.

On October 19, 2022, Carlile announced that Mitchell would play a headline concert, billed as "Joni Jam 2", in a weekend event at Washington State's [[Gorge Amphitheatre]], "one of the most beautiful venues in the world", on June 10, 2023.<ref name="billboard2022"/> Mitchell's last official headline shows had been on the Both Sides Now tour in 2000.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 22, 2022 |title=Joni Mitchell to play first headline concert in 23 years. |work=The Guardian |language=en |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/oct/20/joni-mitchell-headline-concert-2023-washington |access-date=October 28, 2022}}</ref> Her 2023 appearance at Gorge Amphitheatre attracted a capacity audience of 27,000. In her first headline concert in 23 years, supported by 19 singers and musicians, Mitchell performed a nearly three-hour set of 21 songs plus a three-song encore in which she played guitar. [[Annie Lennox]], who sang on "Ladies of the Canyon", said Mitchell was "a visionary, a legend and an inspiration."<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 11, 2023 |title=Joni Mitchell review - first headline show in two decades is three hours of total joy. Matthew Cantor.|work=The Guardian |language=en |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jun/11/joni-mitchell-review-gorge-amphitheatre-quincy-washington |access-date=August 7, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=June 11, 2023 |title=A Three-Hour 'Joni Jam' Benefits from Famous Friends, but Nothing Overshadows Joni Mitchell's Triumphant Return: Concert Review |magazine=Variety |language=en |url=https://variety.com/2023/music/concert-reviews/joni-jam-mitchell-gorge-washington-concert-brandi-carlile-1235640046/ |access-date=August 7, 2023 |archive-date=August 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230807170547/https://variety.com/2023/music/concert-reviews/joni-jam-mitchell-gorge-washington-concert-brandi-carlile-1235640046/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Mitchell was awarded the 2023 [[Gershwin Prize]] for her lifetime contributions to popular music.<ref name="gershwin1">{{Cite web |date=January 12, 2023 |title=Joni Mitchell to receive Gershwin Prize for Popular Song |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/joni-mitchell-to-receive-gershwin-prize-for-popular-song-1.6227827 |access-date=January 12, 2023 |website=CTVNews |language=en |archive-date=January 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112151148/https://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/joni-mitchell-to-receive-gershwin-prize-for-popular-song-1.6227827 |url-status=live }}</ref> She was celebrated with a concert on March 2 in Washington, D.C., where musicians taking part included [[Brandi Carlile]], [[Annie Lennox]], [[Angélique Kidjo]], [[Herbie Hancock]], [[Diana Krall]], [[Cyndi Lauper]], [[Graham Nash]], [[James Taylor]], [[Ledisi]], [[Lucius (band)|Lucius]], [[Marcus Mumford]], [[Sara Bareilles]] and Celisse. Mitchell performed "[[Summertime (George Gershwin song)|Summertime]]" and participated in all-star renditions of her songs "Big Yellow Taxi" and "The Circle Game".<ref name="gershwin1"/><ref name="gershwin2">{{cite web |url= https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2023/03/joni-mitchells-gershwin-prize-concert-showcases-her-music-and-influence/ |title= Joni Mitchell's Gershwin Prize Concert Showcases Her Music and Influence |website= Library of Congress |date= March 2, 2023 |last1= Hartsell |first1= Mark |access-date= March 31, 2023 |archive-date= March 30, 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230330040024/https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2023/03/joni-mitchells-gershwin-prize-concert-showcases-her-music-and-influence/ |url-status= live }}</ref><ref name="gershwin_divine_intervention">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/music/2023/03/31/joni-mitchell-gershwin-prize-summertime/ |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331232136/https://www.washingtonpost.com/music/2023/03/31/joni-mitchell-gershwin-prize-summertime/?itid=mr_5 |archive-date=March 31, 2023 |title=Joni Mitchell sang Gershwin. I think I heard divine intervention |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date= March 31, 2023 |last1=Richards |first1=Chris |access-date=February 2, 2024}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

On February 4, 2024, Mitchell performed for the first time at the [[66th Annual Grammy Awards]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.grammy.com/news/joni-mitchell-first-performance-2024-grammys |title=2024 GRAMMYs: Joni Mitchell Performs For The First Time |first=Krystal |last=Rodriguez |publisher=grammy.com |date=February 5, 2024 |access-date=February 5, 2024 |archive-date=February 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240205132751/https://platform.twitter.com/widgets/widget_iframe.2f70fb173b9000da126c79afe2098f02.html?origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.grammy.com |url-status=live }}</ref> Further Joni Jam concert dates were announced for Saturday October 19 and Sunday October 20, 2024, at the 18,000 capacity [[Hollywood Bowl]], where Mitchell performed three-hour sets with [[Brandi Carlile]], Marcus Mumford, Annie Lennox and numerous supporting musicians.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2024-10-20/joni-mitchell-hollywood-bowl-brandi-carlile-joni-jam-review |title=Los Angeles Times: Joni Mitchell rouses the Hollywood Bowl with an epic 3-hour Joni Jam |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=October 20, 2024|access-date=October 21, 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Joni Mitchell adds second Hollywood Bowl concert date 'due to overwhelming demand' |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2024/01/30/joni-mitchell-brandi-carlile-hollywood-bowl-tickets/72411700007/ |access-date=February 2, 2024 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US |archive-date=February 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240202013319/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2024/01/30/joni-mitchell-brandi-carlile-hollywood-bowl-tickets/72411700007/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/music/article/joni-mitchell-review-hollywood-bowl-7cq7xdg38 | website=[[The Times]] |title=Joni Mitchell Review At the Hollywood Bowl |date=October 21, 2024 |access-date=October 21, 2024 }}</ref>

On March 22, 2024, Mitchell restored her music to Spotify after Neil Young did the same, ending her protest over Spotify's hosting of ''The Joe Rogan Experience''.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Joni Mitchell's Music Returns To Spotify, Following Neil Young's Lead |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2024/03/22/joni-mitchells-music-returns-to-spotify-following-neil-youngs-lead/ |date=March 22, 2024 |first=Hugh |last=McIntyre |website=Forbes }}</ref>