What do you do if you've had a number one hit at the age of 14, been top of the bill with The Beatles as your support act and spent seventeen years touring with jazz legend Humphrey Lyttleton?

You modestly admit you are blessed and you put your thanks in God. At least you do if you're Helen Shapiro.

The talented singer, who celebrates 40 years in showbusiness next month, recalls fondly how it all came about.

"I come from a very musical family - my mum, dad, brother, aunts, uncles and cousins all just love music," says Helen.

"We used to get together for musical evenings, some would play instruments and we'd harmonise. That's where I got my love and understanding of music from."

Displaying some of the determination that has contributed to her longevity in a business that has more one-hit wonders than enduring performers, Helen persuaded her machinist Dad to forked out his hard-earned cash on singing lessons.

But her singing teacher soon realised she had potential and not only waived her fees but alerted record companies to her talent.

The result was a string of hit records, the first of which reached number three in the charts. Ironically titled Don't Treat Me Like a Child (she was 13 when she recorded it), followed by You Don't Know which reached number one and, what some might say is her signature tune, Walkin' Back to Happiness, which also shot to the top of the charts.

By the time she released her fourth hit single, Tell Me What He Said, Helen found herself the star of shows that included a national tour with The Beatles as her support band - that was in 1961.

"It was a first major tour for them. We travelled on the coach together and we used to have jam sessions singing early Motown songs and Beach Boys numbers," recalls Helen.

"They wrote some of their hit songs on the bus, stuff like From Me to You and Should've Know Better - several for their first album."

Helen went on to work with other pop heroes of the era including Cliff Richard and Adam Faith. But it is jazz that has always held the biggest appeal for her.

"It was always my first love musically. The fact that I started my career in pop was accidental, really. Although I enjoyed it I didn't set out to do it," she says.

"I was brought up on jazz - Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington . . . and I used to sing in a jazz band my brother had before I recorded the pop songs. If you listen to my early albums and B-sides you'll hear me singing jazz standards and blues stuff."

Throughout the years, Helen has emerged as one of country's top jazz singers, touring with Humphrey Lyttleton, who said of her: "Helen has a voice that can turn strong men's knees to jelly."

Another style of music that features in Helen's repertoire is gospel, which came about because of her strong Christian faith. Something she made a commitment to in 1987.

"I Go to the Rock is a gospel number I perform in the show. It's one of many I sing in my gospel outreach evenings where I proclaim my faith.

"My faith transcends every aspect of my life, along with my love of music."

* Simply Shapiro, Helen's latest show, is at Salisbury City Hall on Friday February 9.