I remember her very well, she had one hit after another in the U.K. in the early 1960s. She was a great singer, she really stood out among other British pop singers of the pre-Beatles era. Some time ago I saw an interview with her, I think it was on the BBC.
She did quite a bit of touring with Humphrey Lyttleton's band from the 1980s onwards and switched to a much jazzier style.
I always thought Whinehouse was more like Alma Cogan than Helen Shapiro though.