Joni Mitchell won this year’s Gershwin Prize for Popular Song from the Library of Congress. The honor is bestowed upon music’s most influential artists. Past winners include Paul Simon, Gloria Estefan, Billy Joel, Carole King, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Burt Bacharach, and Garth Brooks. The prize is named after the Gershwin brothers, Ira and George, whose compositions shaped the popular music we enjoy today.
At the Joni Mitchell tribute concert for the Gershwin Prize in Washington, D.C. in early March, Joni Mitchell performed one of George Gershwin’s classics: “Summertime.”
“Summertime, and the livin’ is easy,” she sang.
But living hasn’t been easy for Joni Mitchell lately. Eight years ago, she suffered a brain aneurysm that forced her off stage. Her recent return to the stage is a victory.
The tribute concert also featured Joni Mitchell’s musical collaborators and friends, including James Taylor, Brandi Carlie, Lucius, Marcus Mumford, Graham Nash, Cyndi Lauper, and Angelique Kidjo.
1A was on the red carpet of the event talking to those artists. We hear from them, and you, as the 1A Record Club explores the influence of Joni Mitchell.
PBS stations will broadcast the concert — “Joni Mitchell: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song” — at 9 p.m. ET on Friday, March 31 (check local listings) and on PBS.org and the PBS App.
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