First solo female to reach No.1 on the US albums chart

Soeur Sourire (“Sister Smile”), aka Sister Luc-Gabrielle, aka The Singing Nun (Belgium, b. Jeanne-Paule Deckers, 1933-85), was the first solo female to have a No.1 album in the “Billboard 200 era” when The Singing Nun climbed to the top of Billboard magazine’s Top LPs chart dated 7 December 1963. The bespectacled vocalist/guitarist ruled the chart for 10 consecutive weeks before making way for The Beatles’ Meet the Beatles! on 15 February 1964.

The album (sung entirely in French) spawned the single “Dominique”, which spent four weeks at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 7-28 December 1963. On 7 December 1963, she became the first US chart act to achieve a No.1 single and album simultaneously – both million-sellers.

Billboard published its first albums chart (“Best-Selling Popular Record Albums”) in the edition dated 24 March 1945, with the first weekly countdown (“Best-Selling Popular Albums”) debuting on 24 March 1956. The chart was split into stereo (“Best-Selling Stereophonic LPs”) and mono (“Best-Selling Monophonic LPs”) listings on 25 May 1959 and then, after several name changes, returned to one 150-position chart (“Top LPs”) on 17 August 1963. On 13 May 1967, Top LPs expanded to its current 200 positions, finally becoming known as the Billboard 200 on 14 March 1992.

Female No.1 ‘firsts’ on the US albums chart (significant dates): Dorothy Shay Sings by Dorothy Shay (2 August 1947; the first solo female to reach No.1 on Billboard’s albums chart, and the only solo female chart-topper until Judy Garland went to No.1 on “Best-Selling Monophonic LPs” with Judy at Carnegie Hall on 11 September 1961); Peter, Paul and Mary by Peter, Paul and Mary (20 October 1962; Mary Travers, one-third of the chart-topping folk trio, was the first female member of a group to score a No.1, and the first female chart-topper of the “Billboard 200 era”, with Peter, Paul and Mary on 26 October 1963 and In the Wind – the album The Singing Nun knocked off the top spot – on 2 November 1963); Ode to Billie Joe by Bobbie Gentry (14 October 1967; the first solo female to reach No.1 after the chart had expanded to 200 positions); The Bodyguard – Original Soundtrack Album by Whitney Houston/Various Artists (12 December 1992; the first solo female chart-topper after the Billboard 200 had been given its current name).