The band who never had a single hit, but were as important as The Beatles to Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell has said Lambert, Hendricks and Ross were “my Beatles”, crediting the vocal jazz trio with shaping how she thought about music. Their influence matters because they showed her that voices could be used with unusual freedom and complexity, beyond the conventions of folk and pop songwriting.

The trio’s intricate harmonies and playful exchanges, backed by piano and saxophone, made a lasting impression on Mitchell. She later explored jazz in albums including *The Hissing of Summer Lawns* and *Hejira*, while developing an original style rather than trying to reproduce her idols’ sound.