Bill Anderson: Where Is Joni Mitchell’s Father Now?

Bill Anderson is the father of Roberta Joan Anderson popularly known as Joni Mitchell. Bill’s daughter Joni is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter. She is known to have produced or co-produced most of her albums and designed most of her album covers, describing herself as a “painter derailed by circumstance”.

Bill Anderson: Bio Summary

Who Was Joni Mitchell’s Father, Bill Anderson?

William Andrew ‘Bill’ Anderson was born on 24 August 1911, in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada. Henry Anderson and Ingeborg Gjertsdatter Anderson are the names of his parents, per Geni. Much is unknown regarding his parents. Bill has not provided details regarding his early life. According to sources, he is not the only child of his parents.

Famechain has it that Bill Anderson is the brother of Alma Anderson, Edna Anderson, Hilda Anderson, Betty Anderson, Bernice Anderson, Lynn Anderson, Gordon Anderson, and Andy Anderson. Bill was from a Norwegian family. His family is believed to have had some Sámi ancestry. He used to be a Royal Canadian Air Force flight lieutenant who instructed new pilots at RCAF Station Fort Macleod.

Bill Anderson met Myrtle Marguerite (née McKee) but unfortunately, how, where, and when they met is unknown. Bill was able to win Myrtle’s heart. They decided to get married after dating for some time. Per Wikitree, Bill and Myrtle became husband and wife on 2 September 1942, in a beautiful ceremony that happened in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada.

Bill Anderson’s wife Myrtle Anderson was a teacher. Soon after their marriage, the couple decided to expand their family. On November 7, 1943, in Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada, they welcomed a daughter whom they named Roberta Joan Anderson. Today, Roberta is known as Joni Mitchell. She became a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter.

Bill Anderson and his family were often on the move. They move to various bases in western Canada. World War II happened after which Bill worked as a grocer. He and his family moved to Saskatchewan and were living in Maidstone and North Battleford. The family also moved to Saskatoon. Bill and Myrtle’s daughter Joni Mitchell was not good at school.

ALSO, READ: Myrtle Anderson: What Happened To Joni Mitchell’s Mother?

Although Joni Mitchell struggled at school, she had an interest in painting. She decided to focus on her creative talent and considered a singing or dancing career. Eventually, she became a school dropout in grade 12 however, she later went back to school. She became pregnant. She found out she was pregnant with her ex-boyfriend Brad MacMath in late 1964.

According to Joni Mitchell, “[He] left me three months pregnant in an attic room with no money and winter coming on and only a fireplace for heat. The spindles of the banister were gap-toothed—fuel for last winter’s occupants.” Although she gave birth to her daughter, Kelly Dale Anderson in February 1965, she couldn’t provide for her so she placed her for adoption.

Later her daughter who was renamed Kilauren Gibb, started to look for her biological parents. She and her mother Joni Mitchell would meet in the 1990s. Joni started singing in nightclubs. She reportedly discovered a club called The Depression in Calgary and became a regular performer there. She said:

“My childhood longing mostly was to be a painter, yet before I went to art college my mother said to me that my stick-to-it-iveness in certain things was never that great, and she said you’re going to get to art college and you’re going to get distracted, you know. Yet all I wanted to do was paint.”

“When I got there, however, it seemed that a lot of the courses were meaningless to me and not particularly creative. And so, at the end of the year I said to my mother: ‘I’m going to Toronto to be a folksinger.’ And I fulfilled her prophecy.” Joni Mitchell has worked hard and is now one of the most successful entertainers in the entertainment industry.

Joni has received many honors and awards for her work. Most recently on January 1, 2023, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Joni Mitchell as number 50 on its list of “The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time”. Rolling Stone also named her the 9th greatest guitarist of all time in 2023.

On January 12, 2023, she was named by the Library of Congress as that year’s Gershwin Prize recipient with a concert delivered on March 2 in Washington, D.C., in honor of the award. Joni Mitchell’s father, Bill Anderson lived his life away from publicity. He is very proud of his daughter Joni.

ALSO, READ: Kelly Dale Anderson: Inside The Life Of Joni Mitchell’s Daughter

Where Is Joni Mitchell’s Father Now?

Joni Mitchell’s father, Bill Anderson has passed away. He took his last breath on the 15th of January 2012, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. He was at the age of 100 years when he died. There isn’t much information about his death. Meanwhile, on his 100th birthday, his daughter Joni joined him at the Delta Bessborough Hotel in Saskatoon.