"American Idol" season 10 winner Scotty McCreery has broken the string of poor record sales by recent "Idol" champs by debuting at number one on the Billboard album chart.
McCreery's "Clear as Day" sold 197,000 copies in its first week of release, according to Billboard.com, which not only makes McCreery the youngest male artist to top the chart with a debut album, but also makes him the first country artist to top the chart with a debut studio album.
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McCreery, who turned 18 on Oct. 9, also becomes the first "Idol" winner since Ruben Studdard in 2003 to top the Billboard album chart with his debut album. Inaugural "Idol" winner Kelly Clarkson also debuted at number one with her first album in 2003.
Season eight "Idol" winner Kris Allen's first album sold 80,000 copies in the first week of its 2009 release, and season nine winner Lee DeWyze 2010 disc debuted with 39,000 copies sold. McCreery sold more in his first week than they did combined.
"AI" season 10 runner-up, Lauren Alaina, released her debut CD, "Wildflower," on Tuesday, so her sales will be tracked for next week's Billboard charts.
