Joni Mitchell is undoubtedly one of the foremothers of women in contemporary music. In the ‘60s, she blazed a trail alongside male heavyweights who defined a generation like Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix, and held her own the whole way. Iconic songs like “River” and “Big Yellow Taxi” hold steadfast as moving, permanent entries into the American songbook, the impact of which can’t be denied. So it’s only natural that one of music’s most respected institutions give her her due flowers. And that’s exactly what happened this week, when Mitchell received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in a ceremony held at a private residence in Santa Monica, California.
“Since her debut in the late 1960s, Joni has been a force for change in the industry, blazing the trail for women in music with an unwavering commitment to achieving the status rightfully due her as one of the world’s great musical artists,” Berklee President Erica Muhl said at the event. Muhl added that the occasion was also a chance to “highlight Joni’s important work as an activist and champion for women in music,” introducing a collaboration between Mitchell and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, a part of the school that Muhl remarked has done “pioneering work in this same area.”
