Sabah (singer)
Encyclopedia
Sabah (born Jeanette Feghali on November 10, 1927), Wadi Chahrour, Lebanon is a Lebanese
singer and actress.
She has released over 50 albums and has acted in 98 movies, as well as 20 stage plays. She is among the most prolific Levant
ine singers, with a reported 3,500 song
s in her repertoire.
ian movies. She got very popular and famous. She acted with many famous actors including the famous singer/actor Abdel Halim Hafez.
Still a prominent performer at the age of 82, Sabah continues to perform both in concert and on television, including programs like Lebanon's Star Academy
(the Arabic equivalent of the United Kingdom
's Fame Academy
) where she sang her new single on a stage lined with mannequin
s displaying costumes from several of her early films and musicals.
The singer is known to her fans by the diminutive
Sabbouha and is also called Al Shahroura, or "Song Bird". She is well-known for her ability to sustain a single note for over a minute when performing in the Lebanese 'ataba style. Lately, she said that her "off" used to last for 50 seconds.
Her only European TV performance was in 1980, when she was a guest on the French TV show Le Grand Echiquier where she performed "Saidi" and the duet "Aal Naddaa" with French singer Enrico Macias
.
In the 90s, Sabah and her former husband Fadi Lubnan (Kuntar) made a documentary about her life.
In 2005, Sabah released a new dance single and in 2006 a duet with Lebanese singer Rola. It is a remake of a 1970s hit. 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.
On November 10, 2007, while celebrating her birthday with friends, Sabah received a rose and a phone call from General Aoun
, a well known Lebanese politician.
She has also in recent years developed a close collaboration with singer Rola Saad
in remaking some of her old hits, such as "Yana Yana
".ئاءبيلة
Sabah was hosted on Akher Man Yalam on 31 May 2010. Al Shahrourah, a TV drama based on her life aired during Ramadan
2011. She was played by singer Carole Samaha
.. Some names of the characters in the TV drama have been changed.
, (to whom she was married for 4 days only) She demanded a divorce after she found out he had lied to her. He had not divorced his wife Samia Gamal as he had led Sabah to believe. Joe Hammoud, Wassim Tabbara, and Fadi Kuntar. Lately, she said that all her husbands have taken advantage of her career; especially, when she was at her summit of fame.
Sabah was named by her former husbands as "Madame Bank" because she used to spend her money generously on the people she loved.
There were rumors that she was engaged to Omar Mihio ("Mr. Lebanon") in 2003. When the relationship ended in 2004, she admitted that it had been a stunt to launch Amr's acting career.
In April 2008, a publication with photos announced that she got married to Joseph Gharib, her hair dresser for 17 years. It was later revealed that she was only pulling an April Fool's joke on the public.
She has two children. Her son Sabah from her marriage with Najib Chammas is a doctor and is married to his cousin Zeina Chammas, "her father Co-Star with Sabah in the movie Awwal Nazra". Her daughter Howayda Mansy from her marriage with Anwar Mansy is a dance teacher in the United States
. Sabah has two grandchildren, Danielle Chammas and Naji Chammas, who both live in California
.
tape or DVD
. Movies she has acted in include:
Lebanese people
The Lebanese people are a nation and ethnic group of Levantine people originating in what is today the country of Lebanon, including those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon prior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state....
singer and actress.
She has released over 50 albums and has acted in 98 movies, as well as 20 stage plays. She is among the most prolific Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
ine singers, with a reported 3,500 song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s in her repertoire.
Career
In the 1940s she started singing and acting in EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian movies. She got very popular and famous. She acted with many famous actors including the famous singer/actor Abdel Halim Hafez.
Still a prominent performer at the age of 82, Sabah continues to perform both in concert and on television, including programs like Lebanon's Star Academy
Star Academy Lebanon
Star Academy Arab World, also known as Star Academy: Al-Academya or Star Academy LBC, is a pan-Arab televised talent show, which began in 2003 that features a group of young male and female candidates from all over the Arab world....
(the Arabic equivalent of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's Fame Academy
Fame Academy
Fame Academy is a televised competition to search for and educate new musical talents. The winner received a chance to become a successful music artist. The prize consisted of a £1m recording contract with a major record company, plus the use of a luxury apartment in London and a sports car for one...
) where she sang her new single on a stage lined with mannequin
Mannequin
A mannequin is an often articulated doll used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, and others especially to display or fit clothing...
s displaying costumes from several of her early films and musicals.
The singer is known to her fans by the diminutive
Diminutive
In language structure, a diminutive, or diminutive form , is a formation of a word used to convey a slight degree of the root meaning, smallness of the object or quality named, encapsulation, intimacy, or endearment...
Sabbouha and is also called Al Shahroura, or "Song Bird". She is well-known for her ability to sustain a single note for over a minute when performing in the Lebanese 'ataba style. Lately, she said that her "off" used to last for 50 seconds.
Her only European TV performance was in 1980, when she was a guest on the French TV show Le Grand Echiquier where she performed "Saidi" and the duet "Aal Naddaa" with French singer Enrico Macias
Enrico Macias
Gaston Ghrenassia, known by his stage name Enrico Macias, is an Algerian French Pied noir singer and musician...
.
In the 90s, Sabah and her former husband Fadi Lubnan (Kuntar) made a documentary about her life.
In 2005, Sabah released a new dance single and in 2006 a duet with Lebanese singer Rola. It is a remake of a 1970s hit. 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.
On November 10, 2007, while celebrating her birthday with friends, Sabah received a rose and a phone call from General Aoun
Michel Aoun
Michel Naim Aoun is a former Lebanese Army Commander and he is one of the allies of Hezbollah. From 22 September 1988 to 13 October 1990, he has served as Prime Minister of the legal one of two rival governments that contended for power. He declared "The Liberation War" against the Syrian...
, a well known Lebanese politician.
She has also in recent years developed a close collaboration with singer Rola Saad
Rola Saad
Rola Youssef Saad is a Lebanese pop singer and model who emerged in the mid 2000s and is most commonly known for her collaboration with Lebanese singing Legend Sabah-Biography:...
in remaking some of her old hits, such as "Yana Yana
Yana Yana
"Yana Yana" is a famous Arabic language song in Egyptian Arabic by the Lebanese pan-Arab singer Sabah.Lyrics are written by Morsy Jamil Aziz and music is by Baligh Hamdi. The song enjoys huge popularity in the Arab World....
".ئاءبيلة
Sabah was hosted on Akher Man Yalam on 31 May 2010. Al Shahrourah, a TV drama based on her life aired during Ramadan
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and...
2011. She was played by singer Carole Samaha
Carole Samaha
Carole Samaha is a Lebanese musician and actress. She has released five studio albums. Samaha has a masters degree in acting and directing, which she earned in 1999. In 2004 she won the Arab Music Award for best female newcomer...
.. Some names of the characters in the TV drama have been changed.
Marriages
Sabah has been married seven times. Her marriage with Najib Chammas lasted five years. Her marriage with Egyptian violinist Anwar Mansy lasted four years with whom she had a daughter, Howayda. She also married Egyptian television presenter Ahmed Farrag, and Egyptian actor Rushdy AbazaRushdy Abaza
Rushdy Said Bughdady Abaza was an Egyptian actor. He died of cancer at the age of 53.-Family:...
, (to whom she was married for 4 days only) She demanded a divorce after she found out he had lied to her. He had not divorced his wife Samia Gamal as he had led Sabah to believe. Joe Hammoud, Wassim Tabbara, and Fadi Kuntar. Lately, she said that all her husbands have taken advantage of her career; especially, when she was at her summit of fame.
Sabah was named by her former husbands as "Madame Bank" because she used to spend her money generously on the people she loved.
There were rumors that she was engaged to Omar Mihio ("Mr. Lebanon") in 2003. When the relationship ended in 2004, she admitted that it had been a stunt to launch Amr's acting career.
In April 2008, a publication with photos announced that she got married to Joseph Gharib, her hair dresser for 17 years. It was later revealed that she was only pulling an April Fool's joke on the public.
She has two children. Her son Sabah from her marriage with Najib Chammas is a doctor and is married to his cousin Zeina Chammas, "her father Co-Star with Sabah in the movie Awwal Nazra". Her daughter Howayda Mansy from her marriage with Anwar Mansy is a dance teacher in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Sabah has two grandchildren, Danielle Chammas and Naji Chammas, who both live in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Selected filmography
Many of Sabah's movies have not been released commercially on either VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
tape or DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. Movies she has acted in include:
- Kanat Ayyam (1970)
- Nar el shawk (1970)
- Mawal (1966)
- El Aydi el naemaSoft HandsSoft Hands is a 1964 Egyptian comedy film directed by Mahmoud Zulfikar. It was entered into the 14th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Sabah* Salah Zulfikar* Ahmed Mazhar* Mariam Fakhr Eddine* Laila Taher* Wedad Hamdy...
(1963) aka Soft Hands - El Motamarreda (1963)
- Jaoz marti (1961)
- El Rajul el thani (1960)
- El Ataba el khadra (1959)
- Sharia el hub (1959)
- Salem al habaieb (1958)
- Izhay ansak (1956)
- Wahabtak hayati (1956)
- Khatafa mirati (1954)
- Lahn hubi (1953)
- Zalamuni el habaieb (1953)
- Khadaini abi (1951)
- Ana Satuta (1950)
- Sabah el khare (1948)
- Albi wa saifi(1947)
- lubnani fi al gamiaa (1947)