The Little Girl With The Deep Voice

Helen Shapiro turns 65 today.  She never made it in America, but hit it big in Britain in the early 60s.  Just 14 years old, she topped the charts with "You Don't Know" and "Walkin' Back To Happiness." She also starred in Richard Lester's bizarre but entertaining It's Trad, Dad! (known in America as Ring-A-Ding Rhythm), an exploitation film whose title refers to the old-style jazz revival sweeping British youth at the time.



Hearing Shapiro's hits, you can see why The Beatles became so big with their new sound.  Speaking of which, on their first national tour, they were her supporting act.  But she was on the way down and they were on the way up. By the time they captured Britain, her top ten days were over.

He she is trying (but failing) to have a new hit, helped out by her old tourmates.



She (or actually, her people) turned down a Lennon-McCartney tune written for her, "Misery." She also recorded "It's My Party" but her label sat on it and Lesley Gore had the hit.  Maybe if she'd been handled better, she wouldn't have been a has-been at 18.