Sabah (singer)

Sabah ( ar, صباح ''Ṣabāḥ'' Lebanese pronunciation: ; born Janet Gerges Feghali, ; 10 November 1927 – 26 November 2014) was a Lebanese singer and actress. She participated in many Egyptian movies and songs. She was among the first Arabic singers to perform at the Olympia, Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, and the Sydney Opera House.

Early life

Sabah was born to a Maronite Christian family in Bdadoun in Aley. She came from a troubled family; her father physically abused her and tried to steal her early movie earnings. Her first marriage was to escape her father's control. Her brother also killed her mother because he believed she was having an affair.

Career

Sabah emerged when the field of Arab singers was already crowded with formidable competitors. These included Umm Kulthum (1898-1975), Nagat El Sagheera (born 1938), Warda Al-Jazairia (1939–2012), Shadia (1931–2017), Fairuz (born 1934), and others.

Sabah started singing very young and released her first song in Lebanon in 1940 at 15. She later went to Egypt, where she first participated in the movie ''El-Qalb Luh Wahid'' (''The Heart Has Its Reasons''), released in 1945, which gained her regional fame. She then became officially known by her character's name — Sabah, Arabic for the morning. She also acquired several affectionate nicknames, including "Chahroura" ("songbird") and "Sabbouha," a diminutive of Sabah.

Among her most popular films were '' That's What Love Is'' (1961), '' Soft Hands'' (1963), '' Three Women'' (1968), '' Paris and Love'' (1972), and ''The Second Man'' (1959), in which she played a cabaret singer who vows to avenge her brother's death at the hands of a smuggling ring.

In her parallel music career, she recorded more than 3,000 songs, working with a string of well-known Egyptian composers, including the late Mohammed Abdel Wahab. She specialized in a Lebanese folk tradition called the mawal, and her most famous songs included "Zay el-Assal" ("Your Love is Like Honey on my Heart") and "Akhadou el-Reeh" ("They Took the Wind"). Sabah released over 50 albums and acted in 98 films during her career. Sabah's youthfulness and the joy she brought in her performances made her a living symbol of the "belle époque" and the "joie de vivre" in the Levant and the Arab world.

In 2010, she retired due to an illness that left her with paralysis in one of her arms and legs.

Personal life

Sabah carried four passports from different countries: Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, and the United States. She married seven times, most notably to Egyptian actor Rushdy Abaza, as well as Lebanese businessman Najib Chammas, Egyptian musician Anwar Mansy, Egyptian television presenter Ahmed Farraj, Lebanese politician Youssef (Joe) Hammoud, and Lebanese author-director Wassim Tabbara. Her last marriage was to the much-younger Lebanese artist Fadi Lubnan. She had two children, Sabah Chammas (from her marriage to Najib Chammas) and Howayda Mansy (from her marriage to Anwar Mansy). Sabah was a medical doctor in the United States, and Howayda, a relatively well-known singer, actress, and socialite. In her advanced age, she refused to leave the limelight and her garish outfits. But she was unabashed: "I'm proud that I'm a village girl, but I had a lot of ambition," she said in 2008. Chady Maalouf, head of programming at Voice of Lebanon Radio, said, "She broke so many taboos. I don't know if she was even aware of it... She was the example of a star, she was totally complete in her appearance, behavior and voice. She shocked people all the time." She was also known for her remarkable ''joie de vivre'' as she radiated a sense of happiness and goodness to the public in an embodiment of a ''belle époque'' in the modern Arab world.

In April 2008, a publication with supporting photos announced that she had married Joseph Gharib, her hair-dresser of 17 years. It was later revealed that she only pulled an April Fools' Day joke on the public.

After selling her house in Hazmieh, which she described as "too big and cold for only one person," she moved to the neighboring Hotel Comfort in Baabda, Mount Lebanon, a hill city overlooking Beirut and the Mediterranean Sea. She later lived in another hotel next to Baabda.

Until 2009, she performed in concert and on television, including programs such as '' Star Academy.'' In the 1990s, she and her former husband, Fadi Lubnan (Kuntar), made a documentary about her life, which aired on Future Television under the title "The Journey of My Life" (مشوار حياتي). She also collaborated closely with singer Rola Saad in remaking some of her old hits, such as "Yana Yana." The accompanying video, in which Sabah is shown as "the notorious diva" to whom her younger colleague pays tribute, has received wide play on Arabic music channels. Sabah was hosted on the TV show ''Akher Man Yalam'' on 31 May 2010. In the 2011 edition of the Beiteddine Art Festival, a show retracing the journey of Sabah as a singer and movie star was performed. In the title role, Rouwaida Attieh shared the stage with more than 40 singers and dancers to honor her works.

Sabah is the aunt of Brazilian congresswoman Jandira Feghali. Her brother, Ricardo Feghali, is a musician, songwriter, and member of the highly acclaimed Brazilian band Roupa Nova.

Death

Rumors of Sabah's death circulated days before she died. Amused by the rumors, Sabah said, "Even in my death, I'm making people busy."

Sabah died on 26 November 2014, around 3:00 a.m., sixteen days after her 89th birthday, in her home at Hotel Brazilia from unspecified reasons. Clauda Akl, the daughter of her famous sister, actress Lamia Feghaly, published the sad news on her webpage at around 6:45 a.m. She mentioned that Sabah wished people would not feel sad and dance the Dabkeh at her funeral. Sabah said, “I've lived enough.” After her death, her hairdresser Joseph Gharib said in an interview that Sabah loved to wear red lipstick during her last days. She considered Joseph Gharib her son, and he considered her his mother.

On Sunday, 30 November 2014, four days after Sabah's death, thousands of people filled the streets to pay their respects. Her family, Lebanese officials, and many Arab delegates packed into St. George Cathedral in downtown Beirut to bid farewell to the famed singer, actress, and entertainer. The daylong proceedings took on a festive air as the crowds celebrated Sabah's taboo-breaking six-decade-long career. In front of the cathedral, the official Lebanese Army band played the national anthem, followed by many songs from Sabah's repertoire, a first in the country's history. Fans clapped and sang their favorite Sabah songs. A troupe of dancers in traditional dress performed to her music playing from loudspeakers. "I will call it a celebration and not a funeral," said Lebanese actress Ward El-Khal. "We feel today that we came here to share her feelings and to remember her. We will miss her."

For the funeral mass, Sabah's flag-draped coffin stood near the altar with a giant picture of the singer as a younger woman with her signature ultra-voluminous peroxide-blond hair. After the service, mourners carried the casket to a hearse waiting outside while people clapped, threw flowers, and reached out to touch it and take photographs. Sabah's body was carried through many towns to the church of her hometown of Bdadoun, where she was buried.

Televised biography

'' Al Shahrourah'', a TV drama based on her life, aired during Ramadan in 2011. She was portrayed by actress/singer Carole Samaha. Sabah's reaction was positive toward the series. She was happy that it was a success, though she commented about certain inaccuracies, such as the depiction of her father as wearing traditional Lebanese garb.

Awards and legacy

Sabah received many awards and honours during her lengthy career. Recent examples include:
* She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Dubai International Film Festival.
* She was honored by the Egyptian cinema in Cairo.
* She was honored in Beirut with a statue.
* She was honored by the Lebanese Republic many times, e.g. by receiving the National Order of the Cedar medal.
* A museum is being built in her village Bdadoun, which will contain her private letters, dresses, wardrobe accessories, rare old photographs of her and other memorabilia.
* Her music is being taught in music classes in Lebanon.
* She was honored by the Lebanese cinema and stage as well as Lebanese composers.
* Months before she died, the Lebanese journalist Rima Njeim hosted a TV episode honoring her, which aired live on MTV Lebanon.
* On 10 November 2017, Google celebrated her 90th birthday with a Google Doodle.
* Marvel's Moon Knight TV series plays her song Saat Saat from the 1980 Egyptian movie ''A Night When The Moon Cried'', at the end of Episode 5.
In 2015, graffiti artists Halwani and the brothers Omar and Mohammad Kabbani commemorated Sabah in monumental murals on the sides of buildings in Beirut, paying tribute to the way she defied gender-based and other social taboos, challenging Lebanon's culture of sectarianism and providing an alternative to images of political leaders and their sloganeering.

Work

Sabah released over 50 albums and acted in 98 movies, and over 20 stage plays. She had a reported repertoire of over 3,500 songs.

Selected filmography

:''Source:''
*1986 ''Ayyam El Lulu'' ايام اللولو aka = Days Of The Lulu
*1972 '' Paris wal Hob'' باريس والحب aka= Paris and Love
*1970 ''Kanet Ayyam'' كانت ايام aka =It Were Days
*1970 ''Nar El Shoq'' نار الشوق aka = Fire Of Longing
*1969 ''Easabet El Nesa'' عصابة النساء aka = Gang Of Women
*1968 '' Thalath Nesaa'' ثلاث نساء aka = Three Women
*1966 ''Mawwal El Aqdam El Zahabiyyah'' موال الاقدام الذهبية aka =Popular Song Of Golden Feet
*1963 '' El Aydi el naema'' الايدى الناعمة aka = The Soft Hands
*1963 ''El Motamaradah'' المطاردة aka = The Chase
*1961 ''El Hob Keda'' الحب كده aka = That's What Love Is
*1961 ''Goz merti'' جوز مراتى aka = Husband Of My Wife
*1960 '' El Ragol El Thani'' الرجل الثانى aka = The Second Man
*1959 ''El Ataba El Khadra'' العتبه الخضرا aka=The Green Threshold
*1958 ''Shari' El Hobb'' شارع الحب aka = Love Sreet
*1958 ''Sallem Al Habayib'' سلم ع الحبايب aka = Say Hello To Lovers
*1956 ''Izayy Ansak'' ازاى انساك aka= How To Forget You
*1956 ''Wahabtak Hayati'' وهبتك حياتى aka = I Gave You My Life
*1954 ''Khataf merati'' خطف مراتى aka = He Kidnapped My Wife
*1953 ''Lahn Hobbi'' لحن حبى aka = Melody Of My Heart
*1953 ''Zalamuni El Habayib'' ظلمونى الحبايب aka = Were Unjust To Me, The Lovers
*1951 '' Khada'ni Abi'' خدعنى ابى aka = My Father Deceived Me
*1950 ''Ana Satuta'' انا ستوته aka = I'm Sattutah
*1949 '' Al lailu lana'' الليل لنا aka = The Night is Ours
*1948 ''Sabah El kher'' صباح الخير aka = Good Morning
*1947 ''Albi W Sefi'' قلبى و سيفى aka = My Heart And My Sword
*1947 ''lebnani Fi El gam'ah'' لبنانى فى الجامعة aka = Lebanese In University

Selected discography

:''Source:''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sabah
1927 births
2014 deaths
Lebanese film actresses
Lebanese stage actresses
20th-century Lebanese women singers
Lebanese Maronites
Naturalized citizens of Egypt
Egyptian Christians
Rotana Records artists
People from Mount Lebanon Governorate
Singers who perform in Egyptian Arabic