She was raised not knowing her birth mother was a global music icon. Over thirty years after being placed for adoption, she uncovered the truth — and what followed was an extraordinary reunion that rewrote both their lives.

This woman’s mother is one of the most revered singer-songwriters of her time — a visionary whose poetic lyrics and distinct voice have left an indelible mark on music history. With unforgettable tracks like “Both Sides Now” and “Woodstock,” her artistry has stood the test of time.

The musical star photographed in 1966. | Source: Getty Images.

However, before the world knew her name, this musical star was a struggling art student, unwed, and pregnant at a time when such circumstances brought immense shame. It would take thirty-two years — and a series of twists no one could have predicted — for mother and daughter to finally find each other.

The famous singer-songwriter photographed at Greek Theatre circa 1990s. | Source: Getty Images.

A Long Journey Home – The Story Behind the Reunion.

In 1965, this woman’s birth mother, known back then as Roberta Joan Anderson, was a twenty-year-old student at the Alberta College of Art in Calgary, western Canada.

Her biological grandfather worked as a grocery store manager, while her biological grandmother was a teacher in Saskatchewan. That year, her biological mom found herself pregnant by a fellow art student who was unwilling to settle down.

The famous singer-songwriter photographed in 1967. | Source: Getty Images.

With abortion off the table and no support from her family, the future musical star kept the pregnancy a secret. “The main thing at the time was to conceal it. The scandal was so intense. A daughter could do nothing more disgraceful,” she later said, adding:.

“It ruined you in a social sense. You have no idea what the stigma was. It was like you murdered somebody.”.

The singer-songwriter circa 1967. | Source: Getty Images.

After giving birth in a Toronto hospital, this woman’s mother endured a harsh and unforgiving system. Due to complications, she stayed in the hospital for ten days and spent that time with the baby she named Kelly Dale Anderson.

“I have no money. I have no home. I have no job. When I leave the hospital, I have no roof over my head,” this woman’s mother said. Despite her desperation, she tried to find a way to keep her child.

The musical star photographed in the 1960s. | Source: Getty Images.

To create a family unit, she entered what she would later call “a marriage of convenience” with American folk singer Chuck Mitchell. He also worked in the entertainment industry before the pair started performing together and became friends, then lovers.

This woman’s mother planned to raise her with Chuck and build a life in Detroit. But within a month, both she and the folk singer realized the foundation was too shaky.

The musical star photographed in the 1960s. | Source: Getty Images.

The famous singer-songwriter admitted that after marrying Chuck, he wasn’t comfortable raising another man’s child; as a result, she felt betrayed by her husband and started working independently before divorcing him.

“One month into the marriage, he chickened out, and I chickened out. The marriage had no basis, except to provide a home for the baby,” the singer-songwriter revealed.

The singer-songwriter photographed in 1967. | Source: Getty Images.

Although she had made peace with her decision, the memory of her daughter often surfaced unexpectedly.

With the adoption agency pressuring her to act quickly, she made the heartbreaking decision to sign Kelly Dale over. “It says in the papers that at the hearing I became emotional, which I’m sure I did. I don’t remember any of this. I blocked it all away,” this woman’s mother shared.

The famous singer-songwriter circa 1968. | Source: Getty Images.

As the years passed, she found solace in the belief that she did the right thing. “I gambled,” she later reflected. “I took what was behind the curtains. I gambled that the people who came forward to take this child wanted this child and felt like there was a hole in their life without this child.”.

Roughly three years after the adoption, this woman’s mother’s music career began to take off. Her 1968 debut album, “Song to a Seagull,” marked her arrival.

The musical icon photographed in 1968. | Source: Getty Images.

By the following year, her song “Both Sides Now” became a hit for Judy Collins. She released “Clouds,” which also featured “Chelsea Morning.” Although she had made peace with her decision, the memory of her daughter often surfaced unexpectedly.

She worried about the baby’s health, recalling her poor diet during pregnancy. “It comes to you at funny times, like when a friend’s child falls off a bike,” this woman’s famous mother revealed.

The famous singer-songwriter photographed during the recording of Carole King’s album “Tapestry” at A&M Records Recording Studio in January 1971 in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images.

Finding Each Other – A Search Years in the Making.

Over the years, this woman’s mother made attempts to find her daughter but met dead ends. Then, four years before their eventual reunion, a roommate from her mother’s art school days sold the adoption story to a tabloid.

“It hurt like hell,” the musical star admitted. However, the betrayal led to widespread publicity that ultimately changed everything. “Impostors came out of the woodwork,” she said.

The musical icon photographed in Los Angeles, California, in 1996. | Source: Getty Images.

One waitress named Kelly even went home and asked her mother if she had been adopted. Fortunately, the real Kelly Dale — now known as Kilauren Gibb — was already searching too.

At twenty-seven and pregnant herself, Kilauren learned from her adoptive parents that she had been adopted. She reached out to Canada’s Children’s Aid and was placed on a waiting list. On January 31, she received a package containing general information about her birth parents.

Kilauren Gibb photographed in 1997 | Source: Getty Images.

“It was the kind of brief descriptions you’d get for characters in a play,” Kilauren said. But the details — musical talent, polio at age nine, a grandfather in grocery, a grandmother who taught in Saskatchewan — felt eerily familiar.

Unable to find anything at the library, she turned to the internet and discovered a fan-maintained homepage by Wally Breese. As she read through the site, the pieces fell into place. Kilauren recalled:.

“Mother had polio at 9, grandfather was in charge of a grocery business, grandmother was a teacher…Saskatchewan…boyfriend in art school. There were like 14 or 15 matches.”.

The famous singer-songwriter at the NARAS Dinner in Beverly Hills, California, in 1997. | Source: Getty Images.

She called the office of her singer-songwriter mother’s manager, but the influx of impostors meant Kilauren wasn’t taken seriously at first. Eventually, her information reached the singer, who asked her manager to listen to Kilauren’s voice.

“He came back and said it made his hair stand on end. He said it’s like you’re talking to the same person,” Kilauren recalled. She ultimately traveled to Los Angeles with her young son, Marlin, and was reunited with her biological mother, none other than Joni Mitchell.

The reunion marked not just the return of a daughter, but the sudden arrival of a grandson as well. “Kilauren said I get to watch him grow up now,” Joni said.

The mother and daughter quickly bonded, discovering they both liked shooting pool. They differed on food but both married musicians. While Kilauren was separated from Marlin’s father, a Toronto-based drummer, Joni was twice divorced.

Additionally, the resemblance between them was unmistakable. “She has my mother’s stature. We’ve got cheekbones galore. She’s got cheekbones down every part of her family,” Joni said.

They shared other unlikely connections as well. Kilauren was sure they had unknowingly crossed paths at Studio 54 in the 1980s. She had lived in New York while her mother kept an apartment there.

However, while her mother was leaving her mark in the music industry, Kilauren was a thriving model. Before her second career in photography, she had worked for 13 years as an international model, appearing in catalogs, rock videos, TV commercials, and films like “The Freshman.”.

Her famous mother, now embracing the role of both parent and grandparent, found herself in a new phase of life.

Honoree Joni Mitchell at the 44th Kennedy Center Honors on December 5, 2021, in Washington, D.C. | Source: Getty Images.

She even appeared in a 1981 Danskin catalog with Denise Brown, sister of Nicole Brown Simpson. Her academic life had been just as accomplished. The adopted daughter of two academics, she attended the University of Toronto and spent a year taking drama and psychology courses at Harvard.

Eventually, after finding Joni, Kilauren met her biological father, Toronto photographer Brad MacMath. “He has a daughter by one marriage and a son by another. We all go out together as a dysfunctional family,” her mother told People in 2000.

Joni Mitchell at the MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Joni Mitchell event at MGM Grand Marquee Ballroom on April 1, 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada. | Source: Getty Images.

With the reunion came reflection. On her 1971 album “Blue,” the singer had included a song called “Little Green,” a tribute to the child she gave up. She had written it “as a message in a bottle,” Joni shared in 2000. Her daughter’s response — “God, it’s so cryptic, Joan. I never would have known it was for me.”.

Joni Mitchell at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 3 in Las Vegas, Nevada. | Source: Getty Images.

When asked about the impact of the adoption, the singer stated, “It left a hole in me that I didn’t fill until the day I saw her again.” That wound, once hidden behind fame and music, began to heal. Kilauren said:.

“There’s a definite umbilical cord that was never cut.”.

Joni Mitchell on the opening night of the musical “Almost Famous” on Broadway at The Jacobs Theatre on November 3, 2022, in New York. | Source: Getty Images.

Her famous mother, now embracing the role of both parent and grandparent, found herself in a new phase of life. However, “The coming of the kids hasn’t come out in my art yet,” she said in 1998.

But those closest to her begged to differ. Collaborators like Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter believed they could hear her new familial connection in her tone, which was “more full-bodied femininity,” they told her.

Kilauren remained Joni’s only child. “It seemed like there was never a good time to have a baby,” the singer-songwriter said. “I think part of the difficulty was finding a man who wanted a child. It was a very irresponsible time in general for that generation. It was the whole Peter Pan syndrome.”.

As for her love life over the years, she married actor, bassist, composer, and producer Larry Klein in 1982. The two met while recording the album “Wild Things Run Fast” and worked closely through the 1980s on albums like “Dog Eat Dog,” “Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm,” and “Turbulent Indigo.”.

Larry Klein and Joni Mitchell at the premiere of “Batman” on June 19, 1989, at Mann Bruin Theatre in Westwood, California. | Source: Getty Images.

Although they eventually separated, they reunited musically in 2000 to record “Both Sides Now.” Larry spoke with deep emotion about their connection.

“I’m very grateful that I can do whatever I possibly can to help her and let her know how much I love her,” he said in 2016. “She has always been an important teacher and force in my life.”.

Joni Mitchell and Larry Klein at a Sting in Concert on February 4, 1991, at Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images.

As for Wally, whose website led to Joni and Kilauren finding each other again, he said, “If my site can make her happy, I’ve hit my ultimate goal.”.

In the end, Joni and her daughter’s reunion did more than reunite a family. It brought closure to a chapter marked by pain and sacrifice. As the singer once said, it “counteracts the ugliness at the beginning.”.