How did the greats become the greats? And what did it cost them to get there? Legend is a musician biography series from BBC Radio 4 exploring the life and music of the pioneering artists who shaped modern music.

Series one tells the story of Joni Mitchell and explores her incomparable body of work – from her earliest home recordings to masterpieces like Blue, Court and Spark, and Hejira.

It’s a story that takes us from the remote prairie towns of Saskatchewan to the bohemian idyll of Laurel Canyon; through the hippie dreams of the Woodstock generation and into the dog-eat-dog world of 1980s LA.

Her path has not been straightforward. There have been lonely roads and wrong turns. Road rage, and car crashes – symbolic and real. Joni walked away from fame many times. She gave up a daughter and found her again. She came close to death more than once. And now, she’s back on stages again at the age of 80.

Jesca Hoop – Presenter