Which woman was the first solo female artist to win Grammy Album of the Year?

Judy Garland was the first solo female artist to win Grammy Album of the Year.

Garland won for Judy at Carnegie Hall at the 4th Grammy Awards in 1962. The live double album documented her celebrated 1961 concert at Carnegie Hall in New York, where she performed standards, show tunes, and songs associated with her film career.

The recording was praised for capturing Garland’s dramatic phrasing and powerful live presence. Its Grammy victory recognized a concert album rather than a studio pop release, which makes it an important example of how broad the Album of the Year category was in the award’s early decades.

The wording matters: Garland was the first solo female artist to win the category, not the first woman connected with any winning album. Earlier Album of the Year winners included male-led projects, and later women such as Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, and Carole King added their own landmark victories.