Joni Mitchell, Louis Riel Coffee House
Joni Mitchell. In 1962 patrons of the Louis Riel coffeehouse, once located at 721 Broadway Avenue, witnessed the birth of a legend when an aspiring young painter played her first professional singing engagement to earn what she described as "smoking money". Her pursuit of song writing came from the fortuitous words of her English teacher who encouraged the blending of her talents in painting and music saying, "If you can paint with a brush, you can paint with words". And so she did, writing songs and frequently performing at the Louis Riel before leaving her Saskatoon home for a journey that would ultimately lead her to fulfil her destiny in becoming an internationally acclaimed nine time Grammy award winning singer/songwriter and recipient of countless prestigious honours. The girl with the prairie roots from the land of limitless horizons took that unbridled spirit with her and became the voice of a generation. Her honesty as an artist defied categorization, writing music described as "genderless and raceless", connecting her with humanity in a way that has influenced not only music superstars of every decade since the 1960s, but has touched every generation through her rare authenticity and insight making her an indelible music icon. Dedicated June 2018.
Submitted by Paul Mackey