Ani DiFranco (pronounced /ˈɑːniː/) (born Angela Maria DiFranco on September 23, 1970) is a Grammy Award winning singer, guitarist, and songwriter. She is known as a prolific artist (having released nineteen albums) and is widely celebrated as a feminist icon.

DiFranco was born in Buffalo, New York to mother Elizabeth and father Dante, both graduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She started playing Beatles covers at local bars and busking with her guitar teacher, Michael Meldrum, at the age of nine.

In 1989, DiFranco started her own record company, "Righteous Records" (renamed Righteous Babe Records in 1994), with just $50.[citation Read more...