Petula Clark, CBE , is an English singer, actress and composer best known for her upbeat popular international hits of the 1960s, especially "Downtown". With more than 70 million records sold worldwide, she is the most successful British female solo recording artist and is cited as such in the Guinness Book of World Records. She also holds the distinction of having the longest span on the international pop charts of any artist - 51 years - from 1954, when "The Little Shoemaker" made the UK Top Twenty, to 2005, when her CD L'essentiel - 20 Succès Inoubliables charted in Belgium .