Macy Gray to headline Dalane Blues Festival
4 years ago
United States Ani DiFranco is an American-Canadian musician, singer-songwriter, and poet, widely recognized for her independent approach to music through her self-founded label, Righteous Babe Records, since 1989.
Ani DiFranco signed with Artists First with a focus on expanding her presence in film, TV, and theatre.
DiFranco collaborated with Zoe Boekbinder on The Prison Music Project, an album featuring collaborations between incarcerated and formerly incarcerated writers and musicians.
Angela Maria “Ani” DiFranco was born on September 23, 1970, in Buffalo, New York. Her parents, Elizabeth Ross and Dante Americo DiFranco, both attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. DiFranco began playing guitar and busking at age nine, often performing Beatles covers with her guitar teacher, Michael Meldrum. By the age of 14, she was writing her own songs and performing them in local bars and coffee houses. At 16, she graduated from the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts and became an emancipated minor, subsequently attending classes at Buffalo State College. This early independence significantly shaped her career trajectory, leading her to establish her own record label.
In 1989, at 19, DiFranco founded Righteous Babe Records. She released her self-titled debut album in 1990 after relocating to New York City, where she also pursued poetry classes at The New School and met her mentor, poet Sekou Sundiata. Over the next 15 years, DiFranco toured extensively, releasing albums and steadily gaining popularity. The 1990s marked a period of increased exposure, with her music being classified as folk rock and alternative rock, incorporating additional influences from punk, funk, hip hop, and jazz. Her independent spirit extended to her recording process, exemplified by her 2004 album “Educated Guess,” where she performed all instrumentals and vocals, recorded the album at home, and designed the artwork.
DiFranco’s career is marked by significant milestones, including releasing over 20 albums on Righteous Babe Records. She received a Grammy Award in 2004 for Best Recording Package for her album “Evolve.” In 2019, she released her memoir, “No Walls and the Recurring Dream,” which appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list. She made her Broadway debut in “Hadestown” in 2024, reprising a role she originated on the concept album. Beyond her musical achievements, DiFranco is celebrated for her activism, supporting social and political movements through benefit concerts, advocacy for reproductive rights, and LGBTQ+ visibility. She received the Woman of Courage Award in 2006 and the Woody Guthrie Award in 2009 for her contributions to positive social change.
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