Photo: Russell/Redferns/Retna

Born November 7th, 1943 Key Tracks "Both Sides Now," "Help Me," "Raised on Robbery" Influenced Robert Plant, Jewel, Fiona Apple

Joni Mitchell began as the archetype of the folkie female singer-songwriter, an heir to Joan Baez. But she quickly moved forward, incorporating influences from jazz and the blues. "Joni Mitchell heard Billie Holiday sing 'Solitude' when she was about nine years old — and she hasn't been the same since," says Herbie Hancock. Those lessons of emotional vulnerability are evident in her delicate soprano trill, as well as in the undisguised wear of the sultry voice of her later work, punctuated by her jazzy syncopation. "Joni's got a strange sense of rhythm that's all her own," Bob Dylan told Rolling Stone. Above all, Mitchell won't be boxed in. "The way she phrases always serves the lyrics perfectly, and yet her phrasing can be different every time," Hancock says. "She's a fighter for freedom."

1. Both Sides Now
2. Help Me
3. Raised on Robbery
4. California
5. River
6. A Case of You
7. Free Man In Paris
8. Woodstock
9. Coyote
10. Turn Me On I'm a Radio

• View List: The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time
• Listen: The Ultimate Singers Playlist
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