The two Canadian music legends were among the brightest moments on a night which saw several other homegrown talents secure their own Grammy milestones.
Joni. Wow. #Grammys pic.twitter.com/EXxiPDX3tp
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Montreal folk singer-songwriter Allison Russell landed her first Grammy win while Romania-born, Canada-raised pop wizard Serban Ghenea clocked his 20th.
But it was Mitchell's rendition of her classic "Both Sides Now," surrounded by a close-knit group of friends in a scene that evoked her living room "Joni Jam" sessions, that seemed like a particularly special once-in-a-lifetime moment.
Sitting on a gold-trimmed wingback chair, the 80-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter was like a matriarch to the artists gathered in the semi-circle around her, including fellow Canadian Grammy winner Russell on clarinet. Many in the star-studded audience seemed transfixed by her presence.
Such a performance seemed unimaginable even a few years ago when a 2015 brain aneurysm sidelined Mitchell's career and threatened her life. Brandi Carlile said in her introduction that Mitchell had overcome incredible hurdles in her life, and in recent years that included learning to speak and walk again.
"We all know she's timeless," Carlile said.
"We're so lucky that history remembers any of us. One thing I know for sure is that it will remember that we lived in the time of Joni Mitchell."
