Read Joni Mitchell's Full 2026 Grammy Acceptance Speech

"I had to make a transition for survival from folk music, which was killed by the British Invasion. David Crosby was afraid that they were going to slap some kind of band on me and that it would ruin my music. So I made that record with voice and guitar. Then the record company sicced the band on me. It was called The Section, they were a good band for James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, but they couldn't play my music."

"The drummer said 'Joni, you're going to half to play with jazz musicians.' So I started going to the jazz clubs, looking for a band, and I found a band I liked called the LA Express. And I made an album called Court and Spark with them. Then I made an album called For the Roses, because I was pissed off at the music business."

Joni Mitchell accepted a Grammy for Best Historical Album at the 2026 Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony. She wore a sequined duster, a gold lamé beret, and an 'ICE OUT' pin. Acceptance included recollections of transitioning from folk music after the British Invasion and early records made with voice and guitar. The record company later assigned The Section, a band better suited to other artists, which struggled with her material. A drummer suggested she play with jazz musicians, prompting visits to jazz clubs and collaboration with the LA Express on Court and Spark. Anger at the music business led to For the Roses and a rejected album cover that briefly appeared as a Sunset billboard; she expressed gratitude for the Grammy.

Read at Vulture