Joni Mitchell, a name that resonates across generations, is more than just a legendary singer-songwriter. She is a storyteller whose music has shaped the landscape of modern folk and pop. With albums like Blue and Court and Spark, her lyrics have always drawn from deeply personal experiences, making her life as intriguing as her art.
Beyond the melodies and poetic lyrics, Mitchell’s love life has often been in the spotlight. She has been married twice, and both unions reflected different stages of her evolution.
Her first marriage was to folk singer Chuck Mitchell, a brief but defining chapter in her early career. Years later, she married bassist and producer Larry Klein, a relationship that intertwined love and music in ways that influenced her sound.
Let’s talk about her two marriages in the sections below.
Joni Mitchell’s Marriage to Husband Chuck Mitchell Only Lasted Two Years
In 1965, Joni Anderson was a young musician trying to find her way. She had just given birth to a daughter, a child she made the painful decision to put up for adoption due to financial struggles. Around that time, she met Chuck Mitchell, an American folk singer who saw promise in her talent.
He offered her the opportunity to perform alongside him in the United States, and with little hesitation, she left Canada behind.
Their whirlwind romance led to marriage in June of that year. Joni, always creative, sewed her own wedding dress and those of her bridesmaids. The couple settled in Detroit, performing together at coffeehouses and folk clubs. For a brief moment, it seemed like they could carve out a future in both love and music.
But the reality of their relationship didn’t match the dream. While Chuck was supportive in some ways, Joni soon felt stifled, both in her career and in her personal life. The marriage wasn’t an equal partnership—he was the lead act, and she was expected to follow.
The tension grew, and by early 1967, Joni walked away, leaving behind both her husband and the life they had built. She moved to New York, determined to establish herself as an artist in her own right.
Years later, she would refer to Chuck as her “first major exploiter,” and her song I Had a King is widely believed to be about their failed marriage. “He lives in another time,” she sang, a reflection of the distance that had grown between them.
Larry Klein: Love in Music, Music in Love
By the early 1980s, Joni had long established herself as one of the most influential artists of her time. Her music had shifted, moving away from pure folk and embracing jazz and pop influences. It was during this period that she met Larry Klein, a talented bassist and engineer who was working on her Wild Things Run Fast album.
What started as a creative partnership soon turned into something more. Larry was 25, Joni was 39, but the age gap didn’t matter. They connected on a deeper level, their love entwined with music.
In 1982, they married, and for over a decade, they collaborated both in life and in the studio. Klein played a crucial role in shaping the sound of Joni’s later albums, and his influence can be heard in works like Turbulent Indigo, which won a Grammy for Best Pop Album in 1996.
For a while, it seemed like Joni had found the stability she once lacked. In a 1988 interview, she described herself as “very happily married,” and Larry spoke with admiration about her songwriting.
But love, like music, evolves. As the years passed, the harmony between them faded. The marriage ended in 1994, and though they continued to work together for a time, the relationship itself had run its course.
Unlike her first marriage, Joni rarely spoke harshly about Larry in public. However, in later years, she made a passing comment about him in her biography, describing him in a way that hinted at some unresolved bitterness. Despite that, the music they created together remains a testament to their time as partners, both in love and in art.
