Few artists have achieved such wide-ranging impact as Canadian-born folk icon Joni Mitchell. Over the course of four decades, she released nineteen studio albums, two live records and numerous compilations. Prior to her own recording career, Mitchell's compositions were recorded by Judy Collins, Tom Rush and Buffy Sainte-Marie, among others. After her debut album was released in 1968, her output was prolific, with an album issued nearly every year of the first decade of her career. Mitchell's songwriting developed rapidly, and her fourth album, Blue, is widely regarded as a classic.

She rejected fame following 1974's Court and Spark, her most commercially successful release that resulted in several hit singles, and increasingly delved into jazz throughout the late '70s, eventually collaborating with Charles Mingus on what would be his final project before succumbing to ALS in 1979. Mitchell spent the '80s dabbling in pop rock, incorporating into her work synthesizers and lyrics laden with social commentary. The '90s saw a resurgence in recognition for Mitchell, with Turbulent Indigo winning a pair of Grammy Awards in 1995. She spent the first decade of the new century reviving old work; reinterpreting jazz standards with Both Sides Now as well as her own songs on the two disc Travelogue. Mitchell exited the industry in 2007 with Shine, released through Starbucks' Hear Music label.

Today, she is most remembered for her folk pop singles (if you only know one of her songs, it's probably "Big Yellow Taxi"), but her influence is inescapable. From Prince to Taylor Swift, Björk to Janet Jackson, the music industry is full of artists who call her an inspiration. Want to know what made them devotees? The following five albums are a great place to get started.

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