Episode Details

Joni Mitchell gave up her daughter for adoption, wrote the songs that defined a generation, and then abandoned the folk music that made her famous to pursue jazz, electronic experimentation, and painting. Each reinvention cost her fans, and she made each one anyway. She cared more about growth than about approval.

This episode traces Mitchell from her childhood in Saskatchewan through Blue, Court and Spark, her jazz period with Mingus, and the artistic restlessness that made her one of the most influential musicians of the twentieth century.

• Blue, released in 1971, is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most confessional albums ever recorded
• She gave up her daughter for adoption in 1965, a decision that haunted her for decades until they reunited in 1997
• She abandoned commercial folk-pop success to pursue jazz and experimental music, alienating much of her audience
• She is also an accomplished visual painter who created the artwork for most of her own album covers