 joni mitchell, cc (born roberta joan anderson; november 7, 1943), is a canadian singer-songwriter and painter. mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in saskatchewan and western canada and then busking in the streets and dives of toronto. in 1965, she moved to the united states and began touring. some of her original songs ("urge for going", "chelsea morning", "both sides, now", "the circle game") were covered by notable folk singers, allowing her to sign with reprise records and record her own debut album in 1968. settling in southern california, mitchell, with popular songs like "big yellow taxi" and "woodstock", helped define an era and a generation. her 1971 recording blue was rated the 30th best album ever made in rolling stone's list of the "500 greatest albums of all time". mitchell switched labels and began moving toward 
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