Ani_DiFranco

{{Infobox musical artist
|Name = Ani DiFranco
|Img = Ani_DiFranco.jpg
|Img_capt = Ani DiFranco in concert in [[Eugene, OR]], July 2005
|Img_size = 220
|Background = solo_singer
|Birth_name = Angela Marie Difranco
|Alias =
|Born = {{birth date and age|1970|9|23}} in [[Buffalo, New York]]
|Died =
|Origin =
|Instrument = [[Guitar]], [[bass guitar]], [[singer|vocals]], [[percussion instrument|percussion]], [[piano]]
|Genre = [[Urban Folk]]
|Occupation =
|Years_active = 1990–present
|Label = [[Righteous Babe Records|Righteous Babe]]
|Associated_acts =
|URL = [http://www.righteousbabe.com/ www.righteousbabe.com]
|Current_members =
|Past_members =
}}
'''Ani DiFranco''' ({{pronEng|ˈɑːniː}}) (born '''Angela Maria Difranco''' on [[September 23]], [[1970]]) is a [[singer]], [[guitarist]], and [[songwriter]]. She is known as a prolific artist (having released nineteen albums)<ref name="RollingStone2006">
{{cite web
| title = Ani DiFranco Salutes New Orleans
| publisher = [[Rolling Stone]]
| accessdate = 2008-01-02
| author = Brian Orloff
| date = [[Apr 25]], [[2006]]
| url = http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/10114009/ani_difranco_salutes_new_orleans
}} </ref><ref name="TheReporter2007">
{{cite web
| title = 'Canon' will satisfy most DiFranco fans
| publisher = [[The Reporter Online]]
| author = Sarah Rouleau
| accessdate = 2008-01-02
| date = [[December 28]], [[2007]]
| url = http://www.thereporter.com/entertainment/ci_7829045
}} </ref><ref name="SDUnionTrib2006">
{{cite web
| title = Giving us all a 'reprieve'
| url = http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060810/news_lz1w10ani.html
| publisher = [[San Diego Union-Tribune]]
| author = David L. Coddon
| date = [[August 10]], [[2006]]
| accessdate = 2008-01-02
}}</ref><ref name="AlterNet2004">
{{cite web
| title = Art Is Activism
| url = http://www.alternet.org/story/20347/
| publisher = [[AlterNet]]
| author = John Malkin
| date = [[October 31]], [[2004]]
| accessdate = 2008-01-02
}} </ref><ref name="OSULantern2005">
{{cite web
| title = Ani DiFranco buckles down for her new album 'Knuckle Down'
| author = [[Ian Story]]
| publisher = The Ohio State University Lantern
| date = January 20, 2005
| accessdate = 2008-01-02
| url = http://media.www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2005/01/20/Arts/Ani-Difranco.Buckles.Down.For.Her.New.Album.knuckle.Down-836668.shtml
}} </ref><ref name="MilwaukeeJS2006">
{{cite web
| title = DiFranco makes time for radical sabbatical: Indie rocker records new album and prepares for motherhood
| author = Gene Stout
| publisher = The [[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]]
| date = [[August 21]], [[2006]]
| url = http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=486202
| accessdate = 2008-01-02
}} </ref><ref name="Sovo2006">
{{cite web
| title = Activist Ani: Singer/Songwriter DiFranco delivers ‘Reprieve,’ a political wolf in melodic sheep’s clothing
| author =
| publisher = [[Southern Voice]]
| date = [[June 9, 2006]]
| accessdate = 2008-01-02
| url = http://www.sovo.com/2006/6-9/arts/music/music.cfm
}} </ref><ref name="DailyTexan2005">
{{cite web
| title = D.I.Y outlook fuels DiFranco's music
| author = Leslie Flynn
| publisher = [[Daily Texan]]
| date = [[February 3]], [[2005]]
| accessdate = 2008-01-02
| url = http://media.www.dailytexanonline.com/media/storage/paper410/news/2005/02/03/Entertainment/D.i-y.Outlook.Fuels.Difrancos.Music-850474.shtml
}} </ref><ref name="ColumbusDispatch2006">
{{cite web
| title = Singer's new songs leave fans unable to follow along
| author = Andrew Hampp
| publisher = [[The Columbus Dispatch]]
| date = [[June 24]], [[2006]]
| accessdate = 2008-01-02
| url = http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/contentbe/dispatch/2006/06/24/20060624-B2-04.html
}} </ref><ref name="RockyMtnNews">
{{cite web
| title = Just plain folks: Ani DiFranco gives her New Orleans neighbors a soulful 'Reprieve'
| author = Mark Brown
| publisher = The [[Rocky Mountain News]]
| date = [[August 17]], [[2006]]
| accessdate = 2008-01-02
| url = http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/music/article/0,2792,DRMN_54_4922031,00.html
}} </ref> and is seen by many as a [[women's rights]]{{Fact|date=October 2007}} and [[feminist]] icon.<ref name="DailyTexan2002">
{{cite web
| title = Sound Bites
| author =
| publisher = [[Daily Texan]]
| date = [[September 17]], [[2002]]
| accessdate = 2008-01-02
| url = http://media.www.dailytexanonline.com/media/storage/paper410/news/2002/09/17/Entertainment/Sound.Bites-499123.shtml
}} </ref><ref name="Salon">
{{cite web
| title = Mother Who Think: Hey hey, ho ho, the matriarchy's got to go
| author = Lori Leibovich
| publisher = [[Salon]]
| date = [[March 27]], [[1998]]
| accessdate = 2008-01-02
| url = http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/1998/03/27feature.html
}} </ref><ref name="Newsbank">
{{cite web
| title = Fame hasn't changed the way DiFranco works: Independently
| author =
| publisher = The [[Sacramento Bee]]
| date = [[April 14]], [[2000]]
| accessdate = 2008-01-02
| url = http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SB&p_theme=sb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB047DB661B7CA7&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
}} </ref>

==Biography==
DiFranco was born in [[Buffalo, New York]] to mother Elizabeth and father Dante, both graduates of the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]].<ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/774/000028690/</ref><ref>http://www.musicianguide.com/biographies/1608003709/Ani-DiFranco.html</ref> She started playing Beatles covers at local bars and [[busking]] with her guitar teacher, Michael Meldrum,<ref>[http://www.righteousbabe.com/store/prod_albums.asp?id=473 Notes on the album ''Open Ended Question'']</ref> at the age of nine.

In 1989, at the age of eighteen, DiFranco started her own record company, "Righteous Records" (renamed [[Righteous Babe Records]] in 1994),<ref name="MilwaukeeJS2006"/> with just $50.{{Fact|date=October 2007}} Prior to the renaming of Righteous Records to Righteous Babe Records, DiFranco worked with manager Dale Anderson, a writer for the [[Buffalo News]], who himself started another record label called Hot Wings Records when the two parted ways. Hot Wings released the work of Buffalo area female musical performers working within a similar style to DiFranco. Early Releases of her CDs produced prior to 1994 are labeled with the original Righteous Records label. ''[[Ani DiFranco (album)|Ani DiFranco]]'' was issued on the label in the winter of 1990. Later on she relocated to [[New York, New York|New York City]], where she took [[poetry]] classes at the [[New School]] and [[Concert tour|toured]] vigorously.

DiFranco has identified as bisexual for much of her career <ref>[http://www.afterellen.com/archive/ellen/Music/112004/anidifranco.html Ani DiFranco, Folksinger and Entrepreneur] by Kris Scott Marti, November 28, 2004</ref><ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1589/is_n748/ai_20088650] by Achy Obejas, The Advocate, Dec 9, 1997</ref> and in 1998, she [[marriage|married]] [[sound engineer]] Andrew Gilchrist in a [[Unitarian]] service in [[Canada]], overseen by Unitarian minister [[Utah Phillips]]. Numerous media sources reported that her fans felt betrayed by her union with a man<ref>[http://www.gotpoetry.com/News/article/sid=119.html Biography of Ani DiFranco on gotpoetry.com]</ref>. DiFranco and Gilchrist divorced five years later but remain friends.{{Fact|date=October 2007}}

In 1998, DiFranco's drummer, [[Andy Stochansky]], left the band to pursue a solo career as a singer-songwriter. Their rapport during live shows is showcased on the 1997 album ''[[Living In Clip]]''.

DiFranco's father died early in the summer of 2005; however, she continued her summer tour as a tribute to him.{{Fact|date=October 2007}}

On [[July 22]], 2005, DiFranco developed [[tendonitis]] and subsequently took a hiatus from touring. DiFranco had toured almost continuously in the preceding fifteen years, taking brief breaks to record studio albums. Her 2005 tour concluded with an appearance at the [[FloydFest]] [[World Music]] and Genre [[Crossover (music)|Crossover]] festival in [[Floyd, Virginia]]. DiFranco returned to touring in late April 2006, including a performance at the [[New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival]] on [[April 28]].

DiFranco gave birth to a daughter, Petah Lucia, at her Buffalo home on January 20, 2007. The child's father is DiFranco's boyfriend Mike Napolitano,<ref>Dowd, Kathy Ehrich. [http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20009491,00.html "Singer Ani DiFranco Welcomes a Daughter."] ''People''. January 23, 2007.</ref> the co-producer of DiFranco's 2006 release ''[[Reprieve (album)|Reprieve]].''

== Recognition ==
On July 21, 2006, DiFranco received the [[Woman of Courage Award Winners|"Woman of Courage Award"]]<ref>[http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2006/07/21/late-news-ani-difranco-adam-green-chris-cornell-lily-allen-janet-jackson/ Rolling Stone news]</ref> at the [[National Organization for Women|National Organization for Women (NOW)]] Conference and Young Feminist Summit in Albany, NY. Past winners have included singer and actress [[Barbra Streisand]] and Sen. [[Barbara Boxer]], D-Calif. DiFranco is the first musician to receive the award, given each year to a woman who has set herself apart by her contributions to the feminist movement.

DiFranco has been toasted by the Buffalo News as the "Buffalo's leading lady of rock music." The News further said: "Through the Righteous Babe Foundation, DiFranco has backed various grassroots cultural and political organizations, supporting causes ranging from abortion rights to gay visibility."{{Fact|date=October 2007}}

Since 2003, DiFranco has been nominated four consecutive times for [[Grammy Award for Best Recording Package|Best Recording Package]] at the [[Grammy Awards]], one of which she won, in [[46th Grammy Awards|2004]], for ''[[Evolve]]''.

==Musical style and the "folk" label==
DiFranco's guitar playing is often characterized by a signature [[staccato]] style,<ref>[http://folkmusic.about.com/od/artistsaz/p/AniD_profile.htm Facts about Ani]</ref><ref>[http://www.westnet.com/consumable/1997/06.11/revani.html Ani DiFranco, Living in Clip by Jon Steltenpohl]</ref> rapid [[fingerpicking]] and use of a plethora of alternate tunings. She delivers many of her lines in a speaking style notable for its rhythmic variation. Her lyrics, which often include [[alliteration]], [[metaphor]], [[word play]] and a more or less gentle [[irony]], have also received praise for their sophistication. The song "Talkin' Mrs. DiFranco Blues," by [[Dan Bern]], strings together some of the more memorable lines from DiFranco's early career for comic effects.

Although DiFranco's music has been classified as both [[folk rock]] and [[alternative rock]], she has reached across genres since her earliest albums. DiFranco has collaborated with a wide range of artists including [[pop music]]ian [[Prince (musician)|Prince]], folk musician and social activist [[Utah Phillips]] (on "The Past Didn't Go Anywhere" in 1996 and "Fellow Workers" in 1999), [[funk]] and [[soul jazz]] musician [[Maceo Parker]] and [[rap music|rapper]] [[Corey Parker]]. She has used a variety of [[musical instrument|instruments]] and styles: [[brass instrument]]ation was prevalent in 1998's ''[[Little Plastic Castle]]'', a simple [[walking bass]] in her 1997 cover of [[Hal David]] and [[Burt Bacharach]]'s [[Wishin' and Hopin']], [[string instrument|strings]] on the 1997 live album ''[[Living in Clip]]'' and 2004's ''[[Knuckle Down]]'', and electronics and [[synthesiser]]s in 1999's ''[[To the Teeth]]'' and DiFranco's latest studio recording, ''[[Reprieve (album)|Reprieve]]''.

DiFranco herself noted that "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."<ref>[http://www.jeffreypepperrodgers.com/difranco.htm Rock Troubadours] by Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers</ref>

==Lyrics and politics==
Although much of DiFranco's material is autobiographical, it is often also strongly political. Many of her songs are concerned with contemporary social issues such as [[racism]], [[sexism]], [[sexual abuse]], [[homophobia]], [[reproductive rights]], [[poverty]], and [[war]]. The combination of personal and political is partially responsible for DiFranco's early popularity among politically active college students, some of whom set up [[Fan (aficionado)|fan pages]] on the [[World Wide Web|web]] to document DiFranco's career as early as 1994. Because DiFranco's rapid rise in popularity in the mid-1990s was fuelled mostly by personal contact and word of mouth rather than [[mainstream media]], fans often expressed a feeling of community with each other.{{Fact|date=October 2007}}

DiFranco has expressed political views outside of her music. During the [[U.S. presidential election, 2000|2000 U.S. presidential election]], she encouraged voting for [[Ralph Nader]] in non-[[swing state|battleground states]].{{Fact|date=October 2007}} She supported [[Dennis Kucinich]] in the 2004 and 2008 Democratic primaries.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/anidifranco/articles/story/5935166/ani_willie_support_kucinich
|title=Ani, Willie Support Kucinich
|author=Lauren Gitlin
|date=[[August 27]] [[2003]]
|accessdate=2007-11-10
|publisher=[[Rolling Stone]]
}}</ref>

On the subject of religion, DiFranco has stated:{{Fact|date=October 2007}}
<blockquote>"Well, I'm not a religious person myself. I'm an atheist. I think religion serves a lot of different purposes in people's lives, and I can recognize the value of that, you know, the value of ceremony, the value of community, or even just having a forum to get together and talk about ideas, about morals — that's a cool concept. But then, of course, institutional religions are so problematic."</blockquote>

==Label independence==
Ownership of [[Righteous Babe Records]] allows DiFranco a great deal of artistic freedom. For example, on her 2004 album ''[[Educated Guess]]'', DiFranco played all of the instruments, provided all of the vocals, and recorded the album by herself at her home on an analog 8-track [[reel to reel]]. She was also involved in much of the artwork and design for the packaging. The only other person involved in the record's musical production was Greg Calbi, who mastered it.<ref>[http://www.righteousbabe.com/ani/educated_guess/more_info.asp Educated guess article]</ref>

References to her independence from major labels appear occasionally in DiFranco's songs, including "The Million You Never Made" (''[[Not A Pretty Girl]]''), which discusses the act of turning down a lucrative contract, "The Next Big Thing" (''[[Not So Soft]]''), which describes an imagined meeting with a label head-hunter who evaluates the singer based on her looks, and "Napoleon" (''[[Dilate]]''), which sympathizes sarcastically with an unnamed friend who did sign with a label. A long standing rumor, apparently begun by [[Spin Magazine]] in 1997, suggests that the friend addressed in "Napoleon" is the musician [[Suzanne Vega]]; both DiFranco and Vega have denied this.{{Fact|date=May 2007}}

DiFranco has occasionally joined with [[Prince (musician)|Prince]] in discussing publicly the problems associated with major record companies. DiFranco is openly proud of her label, which employs a number of people in her hometown of Buffalo. In a 1997 open letter to [[Ms. magazine]]<ref>[http://www.columbia.edu/~marg/ani/letter.html Interview with Ms. Magazine]</ref> she expressed displeasure that what she considers a way to ensure her own artistic freedom was seen by others solely in terms of its financial success.

[[Image:Ani DiFranco The New Yorker.jpg|thumb|240px|Ani DiFranco, [[RZA]], and [[Steve Albini]] at <br />''The New Yorker'' festival in September 2005.]]

==Recent work==
On September 11, 2007, she released the first retrospective of her career, titled ''[[Canon (album)|Canon]]'' and for the first time, a collection of poetry in a book titled ''[[Verses (Ani Difranco book)|Verses]]''.

DiFranco's album, ''[[Reprieve (album)|Reprieve]]'', was released on [[August 8]], [[2006]]. It was previously leaked on [[iTunes]] for several hours around [[July 1]], [[2006]], due to an error saying it was released in 2002.{{Fact|date=October 2007}}

DiFranco performed with [[Cyndi Lauper]] on "Sisters of Avalon", a track from Lauper's 2005 collection ''The Body Acoustic''.

She also collaborated with fellow folk singer [[Dar Williams]] on "Comfortably Numb", a [[Pink Floyd]] cover song from Williams' 2005 album, ''[[My Better Self]]''.

In 2002 her rendition of [[Greg Brown]]'s "The Poet Game" appeared on "Going Driftless: An Artists' Tribute to Greg Brown."

==Discography==
===Studio albums===
{| width="100%"
|- valign=top
|width="40%"|
* 1990 - ''[[Ani DiFranco (album)|Ani DiFranco]]''
* 1991 - ''[[Not So Soft]]''
* 1992 - ''[[Imperfectly]]''
* 1993 - ''[[Puddle Dive]]''
* 1993 - ''[[Like I Said: Songs 1990-91]]''<ref>[http://www.mmguide.musicmatch.com/album/album.cgi?ALBUMID=476160&AMGLENGTH=full#review ''MMguide.musicmatch.com'' Retrieved on 06-06-07]</ref>
* 1994 - ''[[Out of Range]]''
* 1995 - ''[[Not a Pretty Girl]]''
* 1996 - ''[[Dilate]]''
* 1998 - ''[[Little Plastic Castle]]''
* 1999 - ''[[Up Up Up Up Up Up]]''
* 1999 - ''[[To the Teeth]]''
* 2001 - ''[[Revelling/Reckoning]]''
* 2003 - ''[[Evolve (album)|Evolve]]''
* 2004 - ''[[Educated Guess]]''
* 2005 - ''[[Knuckle Down]]''
* 2006 - ''[[Reprieve (album)|Reprieve]]''
* 2007 - ''[[Canon (album)|Canon]]''
|}

===Live albums===
{| width="100%"
|- valign=top
|width="40%"|
* 1994 - ''[[An Acoustic Evening With]]''
* 1994 - ''[[Women in (E)motion]]'' (German Import)
* 1997 - ''[[Living in Clip]]''
* 2002 - ''[[So Much Shouting, So Much Laughter]]''
* 2004 - ''[[Atlanta - 10.9.03]]'' (Official Bootleg series)
* 2004 - ''[[Sacramento - 10.25.03]]'' (Official Bootleg series)
* 2004 - ''[[Portland - 4.7.04]]'' (Official Bootleg series)
* 2005 - ''[[Boston - 11.16.03]]'' (Official Bootleg series)
* 2005 - ''[[Chicago - 1.17.04]]'' (Official Bootleg series)
* 2005 - ''[[Madison - 1.25.04]]'' (Official Bootleg series)
* 2005 - ''[[Rome - 11.15.04]]'' (Official Bootleg series)
* 2006 - ''[[Carnegie Hall - 4.6.02]]'' (Official Bootleg series - available in stores)
* 2007 - ''[[Boston - 11.10.06]]'' (Official Bootleg series)

===EPs===
* 1996 - ''[[More Joy, Less Shame]]''
* 1999 - ''[[Little Plastic Remixes]]'' (limited distribution)
* 2000 - ''[[Swing Set]]''

===Demos===
* 1989 - ''[[Demo tape (Ani DiFranco)|Demo tape]]'' (unreleased)

===Videos===
* 2002 - ''[[Render: Spanning Time with Ani DiFranco]]''
* 2004 - ''Trust''

===Poetry===
* 2004 - "[[Self-evident: poesie e disegni (Ani DiFranco book)|Self-evident: poesie e disegni]]"
* 2007 - ''[[Verses (Ani DiFranco book)|Verses]]''

==Samples==
{{multi-listen start}}
{{multi-listen item|filename=Napoleon.ogg|title="Napoleon"|description=from ''[[Dilate]]''|format=[[Ogg]]}}
{{multi-listen end}}

==See also==
* [[Righteous Babe Records]]
* [[:Category:Righteous Babe artists]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{commons|Ani DiFranco}}
* [http://www.OnHerOwn.net/ OnHerOwn.net ~ Ani Forums, Setlists, Photos, Downloads, Bootlegs, etc.]
* [http://www.righteousbabe.com/ The Righteous Babe homepage]
* [http://www.hourfollowshour.org/ A streaming Ani radio station]
* {{imdb name|id=0226459|name=Ani DiFranco}}
* {{MusicBrainz artist|id=a7bdc71f-697a-45d9-92b2-a01fbbe50272|name=Ani DiFranco}}
* [http://69.10.135.238/~floydnet/ffgallery/album54 Ani at FloydFest 2005]
* [http://www.npr.org/programs/asc/archives/asc53/index.html#difranco Ani DiFranco on NPR's ''All Songs Considered'']
* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4818696 Ani DiFranco on NPR's ''World Cafe'']
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/r2music/folk/reviews/evolve.shtml BBC review of ''Evolve'']
* [http://www.lostateminor.com/2006/02/22/knuckle-down/ Review of ''Knuckle Down'']
* [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/anidifranco Ani DiFranco] at [[Rolling stone|Rolling Stone]]

<br>{{Ani_DiFranco}}



{{Persondata
|NAME=DiFranco, Ani
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=DiFranco, Angela Marie (birth name)
|SHORT DESCRIPTION=musician and activist
|DATE OF BIRTH={{Birth date and age|1970|9|23|mf=y}}
|PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Buffalo, New York]]
|DATE OF DEATH=living
|PLACE OF DEATH=
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Difranco, Ani}}
[[Category:1970 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American composers]]
[[Category:American female singers]]
[[Category:American guitarists]]
[[Category:American singers]]
[[Category:American singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American female guitarists]]
[[Category:American folk singers]]
[[Category:Anti-folk music]]
[[Category:Feminist artists]]
[[Category:Anti-corporate activists]]
[[Category:Bisexual musicians]]
[[Category:New York musicians]]
[[Category:Italian-American musicians]]
[[Category:American Jews]]
[[Category:Jewish American musicians]]
[[Category:American atheists]]
[[Category:Jewish atheists]]
[[Category:Righteous Babe artists]]
[[Category:American buskers]]
[[Category:People from Buffalo, New York]]
[[Category:LGBT musicians from the United States]]
[[Category:LGBT composers]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]

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[[hy:Անի Դիֆրանկո]]
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[[he: אני דיפראנקו]]