Who Was the First Woman Inducted into the R & R HOF?

Many of us waiting to see Heart getting honored as they so richly deserve were happy that they'll join the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class of 2013, but do you know who was the first woman inducted?

It happened on this day (January 3rd) in 1987, the year that the largest number of inductees in Hall of Fame history (22) were also inducted.

The list was not just long, but memorable, because of the heavyweights that were honored, including B.B. King, Bill Haley, Bo Diddley, Carl Perkins, Marvin Gaye, Roy Orbison, Smokey Robinson and Muddy Waters.

Unfortunately, in the history of the Hall of Fame, women haven't been represented in great numbers.

According to an article in history.com:

"Of the 159 total inductions in the Performers category, 135 have been of solo male performers or male groups. Only 10 solo female performers and 13 groups containing at least one female performer have been added since the Hall admitted its first woman—Aretha Franklin—on January 3, 1987."

According to that article, a combination of history and Hall of Fame policy help explain the gender imbalance, but let's hope that that inequity continues to change.