Some context: Ani DiFranco (; born Angela Maria DiFranco; September 23, 1970) is an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, poet, songwriter, and feminist icon. She has released more than 20 albums. DiFranco has received positive feedback from critics for much of her career. Although DiFranco's music has been classified as folk rock and alternative rock she has added punk, funk, hip hop and jazz influences.
Ani cites her anti-corporate ethos for the main reason she decided to start her own label. This has allowed her a considerable degree of creative freedom over the years, including, for example, providing all instrumentals and vocals and recording the album herself at her home on an analog 8-track reel to reel, and handling much of the artwork and packaging design for her 2004 album Educated Guess. She has referenced this independence from major labels in song more than once, 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. The business grew organically starting in 1990 with the first cassette tape. Connections were made when women in colleges started duplicating and sharing tapes. Offers to play at colleges started coming in and her popularity grew largely by word of mouth and through women's groups or organizations. Zango and Goldenrod, two music distributors specializing in women's music, started carrying DiFranco's music. In general they sold music to independent music stores and women's book stores. In 1995 Righteous Babe Records signed with Koch International for DiFranco's release of Not a Pretty Girl. Her records could then be found in large and small record stores alike. DiFranco has occasionally joined with Prince in discussing publicly the problems associated with major record companies. Righteous Babe Records employs a number of people in her hometown of Buffalo. In a 1997 open letter to Ms. magazine 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.
Is there a particular women's group that she was a part of?
A: Zango and Goldenrod, two music distributors specializing in women's music, started carrying DiFranco's music.
Some context: Shenandoah is an American country music group founded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama in 1984 by Marty Raybon (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Ralph Ezell (bass guitar, backing vocals), Stan Thorn (keyboards, backing vocals), Jim Seales (lead guitar, backing vocals), and Mike McGuire (drums, background vocals). Thorn and Ezell left the band in the mid-1990s, with Rocky Thacker taking over on bass guitar; Keyboardist Stan Munsey joined the line up in 1995. The band split up in 1997 after Raybon left. Seales, Munsey, Thacker and McGuire reformed the band in 2000 with lead singer Brent Lamb, who was in turn replaced by Curtis Wright and then by Jimmy Yeary.
Columbia's parent company Sony Music Entertainment released ten of the band's Columbia songs in a Super Hits compilation in May 1994, which was certified gold in 2002. Shenandoah also collaborated with country and bluegrass singer Ricky Skaggs on the 1994 Keith Whitley tribute Keith Whitley: A Tribute Album, recording a cover version of Whitley's "All I Ever Loved Was You". Later in 1994, the band left RCA for Liberty Records, then the name for the Nashville division of Capitol Records. RCA gave Liberty the master recordings for a nearly-completed album, to which Liberty added "Somewhere in the Vicinity of the Heart", a song featuring guest vocals from bluegrass musician Alison Krauss. Liberty released the album in November 1994 as In the Vicinity of the Heart, with the number seven-peaking title track also serving as the first single release. This song was also Krauss' first top 40 country hit, and its success helped boost sales of her album Now That I've Found You: A Collection. Vicinity became the band's fastest-selling album, and the first 175,000 copies were distributed with prepaid telephone cards which included an 800 number that could be called to receive a greeting from the band members. The album also produced the band's last Top Ten hit in "Darned If I Don't (Danged If I Do)." Originally the B-side to "Somewhere in the Vicinity of the Heart," this song was co-written by Ronnie Dunn (of Brooks & Dunn) and songwriter Dean Dillon, best known for co-writing several of George Strait's singles. "Heaven Bound (I'm Ready)" (another Dennis Linde song) and "Always Have, Always Will," peaking at numbers 24 and 40, were the last two releases from the album. Jim Ridley gave the album a two-and-a-half star rating in New Country magazine, citing the vocal performances on the title track and "I Wouldn't Know" as standouts, but saying that the rest of the album did not take any risks. Raybon released a solo gospel music album for Sparrow Records in July 1995, and in October of the same year, that label released a multi-artist country-gospel album entitled Amazing Grace -- A Country Salute to Gospel, to which the band contributed a rendition of "Beulah Land." Shenandoah also covered The Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" on the mid-1995 album Come Together: America Salutes The Beatles. "Somewhere in the Vicinity of the Heart" won Shenandoah and Krauss won the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Collaboration and the Country Music Association award for Vocal Event, and "Darned If I Don't" was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal by a Duo or Group the same year.
Are there any other interesting aspects about this article?
A:
a nearly-completed album, to which Liberty added "Somewhere in the Vicinity of the Heart", a song featuring guest vocals from bluegrass musician Alison Krauss.