Helen Shapiro was born on this day in 1946.

Helen was a very popular young singer in the early 60s (she was only 14 when she had her first number one in the UK). The Beatles’ first UK tour was as a support act for her. When she was 14 she had her first number one single in 1961. In fact her first 4 singles (’61 & ’62) all made the UK’s top 3.

By the time she was 18 her popularity was on the wane (may have been something to do with her beehive hairstyle being seen as old fashioned). Her last single was ‘Fever’ released in 1964. After quitting pop music she returned to jazz and began a career as a stage performer. In 1987 she became a born again Christian and has devoted her talents to spreading the word since that time.