Helen Shapiro

Helen Shapiro was 14 when songwriter Norrie Paramor heard her sing and signed her to EMI in 1961. Her first single, 'Look Who It Is,' went to number one in the UK that same year. She was still a teenager when she recorded songs like 'Walking Back To Happiness' and 'Little Miss Lonely,' which became hits in Britain and parts of Europe.

Shapiro had a voice that sounded older than she was, and she worked quickly in those early years. She appeared on television and toured, but the pace of being a teenage star was difficult. The pressure of constant performing and public attention was hard on someone that young.

By the mid-1960s, musical tastes had shifted away from the kind of pop she was known for. She kept singing, but not with the same chart presence. People who remember her from that time still talk about 'Look Who It Is' and the surprise of hearing such a strong voice come from a schoolgirl.