Ani DiFranco
An amazing grassroots success story, folkie Ani Di Franco took punk rock's ethics and fashion sense, if not sound, to heart. Leaving her Buffalo, NY, home when she was still a teenager, the tattooed and pierced singer-songwriter developed a cult following with her aggressive acoustic style and relentless performing schedule. This led her to release a cassette of her songs, and eventually to form her own label, Righteous Babe Records. Despite many major-label offers (particularly after the success of her 1995 album, Not A Pretty Girl) Di Franco has remained adamantly independent, still playing about 200 shows a year while growing her label into a viable business.
