Hear Joni Mitchell’s Previously Unreleased Live Version of ‘The Dawntreader’
Joni Mitchell has shared a previously unreleased live rendition of her song, “The Dawntreader,” recorded by Jimi Hendrix in 1968.
The song will appear on Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1968-1971), out October 29th. The collection includes unreleased gems like 1969’s “Jesus” and a 1968 set at Le Hibou Coffee House in Ottawa, Ontario, famously recorded by Hendrix in attendance, which is where the recording of “The Dawntreader” comes from.
“They came and told me, ‘Jimi Hendrix is here, and he’s at the front door,’” Mitchell recounted on Instagram. “I went to meet him. He had a large box. He said to me, ‘My name is Jimi Hendrix. I’m on the same label as you. Reprise Records.’ We were both signed about the same time. He said, ‘I’d like to record your show. Do you mind?’ I said, ‘No, not at all.’ There was a large reel-to-reel tape recorder in the box.”
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The upcoming box set is available as a five-CD set or a 10-LP collection limited to 4,000 copies, with Mitchell’s 1969 Carnegie Hall debut also sold as a separate three-LP set. Similar to the first installment of her Archives, the liner notes feature an interview with Cameron Crowe.
Mitchell was recently announced as one of the Kennedy Center’s new class of inductees. Mitchell will be honored alongside Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, entertainer Bette Midler, and bass-baritone Justino Díaz at this year’s ceremony in December.
