On Friday night, Joni Mitchell was honored in Las Vegas by a host of musicians. The tireless activist and artist was named Person-of-the Year at the 2022 MusiCares gala.
Performers on the night included Beck, St. Vincent, Chaka Khan, Allison Russell, Billy Porter, John Legend, Herbie Hancock, Jon Batiste, Leon Bridges, Mickey Guyton, Pentatonix and Sara Bareilles.
“We are so excited to bring together an amazing lineup of artists to celebrate the musical career of Joni Mitchell. She is being honored not only for her iconic music and lyrics, but for her trailblazing spirit and the inspiration she’s brought to so many singer/songwriters,”Laura Segura is the Executive Director of MusiCares.
The Canadian singer-songwriter was the centre of attention at the dinner and concert, which raised funds for the charity MusiCare’s programs and relief efforts, supporting the music community in times of need.
The past honorees include Aerosmith and Dolly Parton as well as Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty and Lionel Richie.
Mitchell’s songs have received new appreciation in recent years. ‘Both Sides Now’. The Oscar-winning film featured the song as a central theme. It was originally recorded by Judy Collins, before Mitchell took it over. CODAIt was also used by Ricky Gervais as the soundtrack for his final scene on Netflix’s third season. Afterlife.
Mitchell, now in her seventies, continues to fight the battle with the same spirit that Laura Segura has recognized. In January this year, she announced that she would be removing her music from the Spotify streaming platform in solidarity with her friend Neil Young, who requested his music be removed from the service because of Covid misinformation spread on Joe Rogan’s wildly popular Spotify podcast. Young’s music pulled from Spotify led to a loss of over $2 billion in market capitalization.