The Egyptian film industry has been blessed with some of the most exceptional talents ever seen in the Arab world - be it actors, actresses, singers, technicians or filmmakers. One of the amazing yesteryear stars of the Arab film industry, who charmed the audiences and became famous for her stint is Lebanese Sabah.
On the iconic Lebanese actress' 95hth birthday anniversary, Sada El-bald English (SEE) takes a look at her journey in the film and music industry.
Born in Lebanon, 1927, as Janet Gerges Feghali, the wide-eyed star was the youngest of her siblings and grew up in Wadi Chahrour.
Her singing career began after starring in "The Heart has Only but One Love" (1945), directed by renowned Egyptian filmmaker Henri Barakat.
After captivating audiences across the country with her flawless performances, legendary musician Mohamed Fawzi approached her and offered her a role as a professional female singer.
In the 1940s, Lebanese well-known producer Asya Dagher encouraged her to adopt the stage name ‘Sabah’ and she quickly found her fame with her beautiful rendition of "Alhan Bilady".
She went on to work with bandleaders Farid Al-Atrash, Abdel Wahab, and Mohamed Fawzi, but it was while working for Asya in 1945 that she released her first hit, 'Ghanni Maa Sabah'
The remarkable star is known for joint collaborations and associations with legendary Egyptian stars like Fawzi, Al-Atrash, co-Saad Abdel-Wahab, Abdel-Ghani El-Sayed, Abdel-Halim Hafez, and others.
Between 1945-46, her artistic career went from strength to strength as she landed the top Arab songs list, including
Throughout her artistic career, Sabah gave a number of live concerts in Lebanon, Europe and the USA.
Her musical output overpassed a thousand songs; she collaborated with many generations of composers, starting with Mohamed El-Qasabgi, Riyad Al-Sunbati, Mohamed Abdel-Wahab, and Gamal Salama.
Sabah married seven times, most notably to Egyptian actor Rushdy Abaza, as well as Egyptian musician Anwar Many the father of her only daughter Howayda.
Later, she met and married Lebanese businessman Najib Chammas and the union produced Sabah’s only child, Sabah Chammas.
She was also married to Egyptian television presenter Ahmed Farraj, Lebanese politician Youssef (Joe) Hammoud, and then the Lebanese author-director Wassim Tabbara. Her last marriage was to the much-younger Lebanese artist Fadi Lubnan.
It’s worth mentioning that the overwhelming cinematic success Sabah achieved formed a strong background to her singing success. Her voice entered the cinema before her face was seen, according to Lebanese producer Asia who chose and offered Sabah to sing in her movies during a trip to Lebanon in 1944.
Follow the latest news on Google News
