At the age of nine, Ani DiFranco was performing Beatles songs at local bars and busking with her guitar teacher. At age 19, she started Righteous Records. At age 20, in 1990, Ani released her first album, Ani DiFranco. The album enjoyed a great deal of success, and she followed it up quickly with her second release, Not So Soft. A prolific poet and musician, Ani released eleven albums during the 1990s, each with its own theme and character.

Ani DiFranco

folk music is not an acoustic guitar - that's not where the heart of it is. I use the word 'folk' in reference to punk music and rap music. It's an attitude, it's an awareness of one's heritage, and it's a community. It's subcorporate music that gives voice to different communities and their struggle against authority.

Music in her Blood

At the age of nine, Ani DiFranco was performing Beatles songs at local bars and busking with her guitar teacher. At age 19, she started Righteous Records. At age 20, in 1990, Ani released her first album, Ani DiFranco. The album enjoyed a great deal of success, and she followed it up quickly with her second release, Not So Soft. A prolific poet and musician, Ani released eleven albums during the 1990s, each with its own theme and character.

Her first two albums consisted of her and her acoustic guitar, featuring her lyrics more than music. She added drummer Andy Stochansky for her third album, Imperfectly, which gave her music more depth. In the third year of her recording career, Ani already had a solid fan base. This can be attributed to her strong political views which attracted many who agreed with her, and to the presence of the internet, where she could post her singles and her poetry, and make them available for download.

Poetry and Music

Ani toured vigorously from the beginning, to support her albums and to share her feelings and ideas about various political and social issues. In 1998, Ani married her sound engineer, Andrew Gilchrist. A self-defined bisexual, Ani had recorded multiple songs about her sexuality, and a contingency of fans were disappointed and almost offended that she married a man.

Over time, Ani DiFranco became known as a punk-folk rock artist. She has crossed genres in collaborations with Prince, rapper Corey Parker, soul jazz musician Maceo Parker, and social activist Utah Phillips. Her lyrics encompassed her own sexuality, and political issues and social issues, such as sexism, racism, war, homophobia, and reproductive rights.

Here and Now

Ani DiFranco has recorded eighteen studio albums in eighteen years. Some received better reviews than others, but each release was an accurate depiction of Ani, her poetry, her views, and her music. Throughout her career, she has been pursued and wooed by large record labels, which she politely turned away time and again. Staying with her own label always ensured her personal freedoms in the songs she recorded.

In July, 2006, the National Organization for Women awarded Ani DiFranco the Woman of Courage Award, which is given each year to a woman who has made outstanding contributions to the feminist movement. Since 2003, Ani has been nominate four times for Best Recording Package. In 2004, she won the award.

Did you know . . .

• Ani has a daughter who was born in 2007.
• Her 2006 album, Reprieve, was leaked to iTunes before it was released.
• Ani DiFranco performed at the 2008 Democratic Convention.

• Unlimited Music Access
• Music File Sharing
• Country Based Radio Channels
• Easy, Fast and Safe!
• 100% Free!