Born 83 Years Ago Today on the Canadian Prairies, the Unparalleled Poetic Genius Who Became One of Music’s Most Revered Songwriters

Joni Mitchell was born Roberta Joan Anderson in Fort Macleod, Alberta, on 7 November 1943. The article marks her 83rd birthday by looking back at a career that reshaped popular songwriting through emotional candour, vivid imagery and a sound that moved across folk, pop, jazz and rock.

Growing up in Saskatchewan, Mitchell developed her music and art while recovering from polio, which also led her to experiment with guitar tunings. After moving to Toronto and then the United States, she gained attention as a songwriter and released her debut album, *Song to a Seagull*, in 1968 with help from David Crosby; Judy Collins’s recording of “Both Sides Now” became a top ten hit that year. Mitchell has released 19 studio albums, earned 11 Grammy Awards and been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.