Joni Mitchell has overcome a number of health battles in her life, including polio as a child. It was her polio that weakened her left hand and affected her ability to play a guitar. This did not stop her. Open tuning simply allowed her to form the chord shapes she couldn’t have played otherwise and this caused her to create magic with her playing.
In 2015 she suffered a brain aneurysm In 1996, that left her temporarily unable to walk or talk. Also, she was diagnosed with Morgellons disease, which is a horrible skin disease.
Joni Mitchell is the recipient of Billboard’s prestigious Century Award for “distinguished creative achievement” in 1995, she was awarded the Polar Music Prize and in 1997 she was inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Grammy Awards
Year * Category Works Shared
2016 W Best Album Notes “Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, a Ballet, Waiting to Be Danced” -
2008 W Best Pop Instrumental Performance “One Week Last Summer” -
2001 W Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album “Both Sides Now” -
2001 N Best Female Pop Vocal Performance “Both Sides Now” -
1996 W Best Pop Album “Turbulent Indigo” -
1996 W Best Recording Package “Turbulent Indigo” Robbie Cavolina
1989 N Best Female Pop Vocal Performance “Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm” -
1977 N Pop Female Vocalist “The Hissing of Summer Lawns” -
1975 W Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists “Down to You” Tom Scott
1975 N Album of the Year “Court and Spark” -
1975 N Pop Female Vocalist “Court and Spark” -
1975 N Record of the Year “Help Me” -
1970 W Best Folk Performance “Clouds” -
It’s interesting she wasn’t nominated for ‘Blue?’ That and ‘Court and Spark’ are probably my favorite by her but also love ‘Clouds’ and ‘Hijera.’
Morgellons Isn’t real.