On this day, June 22, 1971…
Joni Mitchell released her quintessential confessional singer/songwriter LP Blue, now considered one of the greatest albums of all time.
The album included the track “River,” which went on to become a holiday standard, and “A Case of You,” as well as songs about Mitchell’s relationships with James Taylor and Graham Nash, and the daughter she gave up for adoption in 1966.
Blue peaked at #15 on the Billboard 200 album chart, and went on to be certified Platinum by the RIAA.
The album has earned a spot on many greatest albums lists, including Rolling Stone’s Greatest Albums of All Time list, where it landed at #3 in 2020.
Mitchell recently returned to the stage after a more than 20 year absence, performing at the Newport Folk Festival in 2022, and at Washington’s Gorge Amphitheatre in early June. A live album of her Newport concert, Joni Mitchell at Newport, will be released July 28.
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