Angela Marie Difranco was born in 1970 in Buffalo, New York. She started playing guitar around the age of nine, and by the time she was in her pre-teen years, she was playing Beatles covers in bars and coffee shops around town. At 15 years old, emancipated and living on her own, the poems she had been writing for years had begun to evolve into song lyrics.
At the age of 19, DiFranco moved to New York City to live and play among all the other folksingers in the Village. During this time, she was also taking classes at the New School, but her weekends were spent touring and playing out in the Folk clubs, bars, festivals, and coffeehouses around the northeastern US.
Her first recording in 1990 sold out rapidly, and she quickly made a second record the following year. She released each on her own Righteous Babe label, which at first was more of a concept than anything. As her career gained more momentum, Ani was courted by A&R reps from major and minor labels, but she continued to turn them down.
Now, after two decades of playing over a hundred shows a year, Difranco is packing clubs from the Hard Rock in Vegas to Carnegie Hall in New York. Her Righteous Babe label employs more than a dozen people in her hometown of Buffalo, and supports the recordings of cutting edge artists from Drums & Tuba to Andrew Bird and Toshi Reagan. And her rhythmic, staccato guitar technique has innovated the way the instrument is played.
Ani DiFranco has continued to keep the pace of releasing about an album each year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnFfg_u9wQo&feature=related
Shane,
ReplyDeleteOK, so I suppose I must be the only person in the U.S. who has no idea who Ani DiFranco is? This is not good. Time to diversify my music choices, which I did. Her stuff is AMAZING! I am now a fan. Thank you for an informative post and for inspiring me to check her out. I also dig that her label is named "Righteous Babe."
Comment By: Jacqueline Watson
Really great post! I had heard some of her music before but never knew her history. I can't imagine playing gigs that young! What a courageous woman to do her on label and not work with another. I think I need to invest in some of her music.
ReplyDeleteComment by: Britany Burris
DiFranco is incredibly inspiring. To be so young and then to have worked her way to Carnegie Hall is evident of eminence! Her strength and passion radiate in her performances, and I like that she had her own voice and made it heard in her own way by her own means. I cannot believe I was never introduced to her until now.
ReplyDeleteComment by: Johnathan Crabtree