That’s Dr. Joni to you: Mitchell’s renaissance revs up with honorary Berklee doctorate
Joni Mitchell is a Grammy winner, Kennedy Center Honors recipient and now? A doctor.
On Tuesday, the beloved singer-songwriter’s renaissance picked up even more speed when Berklee College of Music awarded Mitchell an honorary doctorate.
Berklee President Erica Muhl lauded the 78-year-old musician for “blazing the trail for women in music with an unwavering commitment” and dubbed her “one of the world’s greatest musical artists.”
Joni Mitchell might not have wanted to be the glamorous bard of women’s rising consciousness, but with “Blue,” she became just that.
“Well, luckily I’m too old to get a swelled head,” Mitchell joked in her acceptance speech.
Mitchell — who wore a black beret embroidered with “Dr. Joni Mitchell” — was feted at a private celebration in Santa Monica.
Attendees included fellow music greats Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter and a tribute performance by Terri Lyne Carrington.
Just one thing was missing. Mitchell said she wished that her parents were still alive and could have been there to see it.
‘I was ugly-crying most of the time’: Wynonna Judd on being part of Joni Mitchell’s comeback concert
Musicians Wynonna Judd and Blake Mills, and a Newport Folk Festival producer, recount the lead up to, and miracle of, Mitchell’s surprise performance.
“My mother in particular would be really proud of this because she wanted me to go to college,” she said. “I went to art school and I quit after a year.
“She thinks of me as a quitter. So to see this achievement would be really impressive to her. I wish I could share it with her.”
Mitchell is the latest legend to accept an honorary doctorate from Berklee. Recent recipients have included Ringo Starr, Celine Dion, John legend and the Neptunes’ Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo.
Joni Mitchell’s surprise performance at the Newport Folk Festival was just what we needed — a reminder that joy trumps despair every time.
The Berklee honor caps an already momentous summer for Mitchell. At the Newport Folk Festival in July, she gave her first public performance since her brain aneurysm in 2015. She took the stage alongside Brandi Carlile, Wynonna Judd, Marcus Mumford and others to perform a set of hits including “Carey,” “The Circle Game” and “Help Me.”
The rare appearance sparked a range of emotions from both festival-goers and fellow musicians. Judd said she was “ugly-crying” through the performance.
“Joni was the soundtrack of my childhood — she’s my hero — and Brandi invited me to come and be a witness to her incredible journey,” she told The Times.
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