Joni Mitchell is out. The King of Pop is in.
As of yesterday, that was the story regarding which 1997 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees will and won't be attending next Tuesday night's ceremony in Cleveland.
"She's not going," said Mitchell's Vancouver-based manager Sam Feldman. "Primarily she's trying to finish this new album and she's just at the last couple of weeks of that. On top of it she's involved in writing a couple of books and a couple of TV shows, and the whole thing with finding her daughter obviously took a lot of time out of her business side, so she just decided to focus on the work."
The 53-year-old singer-songwriter, who hails from Fort MacLeod, Alta., became headline fodder a few weeks ago when she reunited with her long-lost daughter, Kilauren Gibb, who Mitchell gave up for adoption in Toronto in 1965. The duo spent a few weeks together at Mitchell's L.A. home along with Gibb's son, Mitchell's only grandchild.
Feldman said Graham Nash, who is another 1997 inductee with Crosby, Stills & Nash, will likely accept on Mitchell's behalf. And Mitchell could always change her mind.
"Knowing Joni as I do, I would never say that Joni won't change her mind, but right now I believe she's focused heavily on this work," he said.
Ironically, the notoriously press shy Michael Jackson will be in Cleveland, says his record company, as part of The Jackson 5's induction.
As for Neil Young, he is still unconfirmed for Buffalo Springfield's induction. Young was already inducted as a solo artist in 1995.
Mitchell, who will be the first Canadian woman to be inducted, has been on the nomination ballot twice before, in 1996 and 1995, but did not make the cut.
Feldman said her untitled new album, which she is also producing, is expected to be released next year. In the meantime, Mitchell has a Random House deal to write three books -- memoirs, a book of poetry and an art book -- while her TV projects involve a documentary and a live performance telecast. Venue and date still to be determined.
The other 1997 performer inductees are The Bee Gees, The Young Rascals and Parliament/Funkadelic.
Printed from the official Joni Mitchell website. Permanent link: https://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=139
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