Paul Jabara

Paul Frederick Jabara (January 31, 1948 – September 29, 1992) was an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He wrote Donna Summer's Oscar-winning "Last Dance" from Thank God It's Friday, as well as "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)", Summer's international hit duet with Barbra Streisand. He also co-wrote the Weather Girls' iconic hit "It's Raining Men" with Paul Shaffer.

Early life Jabara was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Lebanese parents Saleem and Olga Jabara. He graduated from Fort Hamilton High School in 1965, and briefly attended Long Island University in Brooklyn. His sisters, Delores and Claudette, also graduated from the same high school.

Acting career

Jabara's Broadway debut was in the original cast of the stage musical Hair. He originated the role of King Herod in the London production of Jesus Christ Superstar.

In 1969, he appeared in John Schlesinger's film Midnight Cowboy, as a hippie handing out pills ("Up or Down?") at the counterculture party. The musical starred Ellen Greene, and played the Broadhurst Theatre in New York City in 1973. It closed in previews prior to its official opening and was never reviewed by the press. No recording was made of the score, which featured both Jabara's trademark disco music and traditional Broadway-style numbers.

In 1976, Jabara contributed a song to the 20th Century Fox motion picture sound track of Mother, Jugs & Speed, starring Bill Cosby, Raquel Welch and Harvey Keitel. The upbeat, disco-flavored "Dance", both written and sung by Jabara, was popular in clubs featuring high energy dance music.

Jabara released his debut album Shut Out in 1977. Jabara's solo albums on the disco label Casablanca Records include three duets with Donna Summer: "Shut Out" (1977), "Something's Missing (In My Life)" (1978) and "Never Lose Your Sense of Humor" (1979).

Donna Summer performed his song "Last Dance" for the 1978 film Thank God It's Friday winning Jabara the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song, the Academy Award for Best Original Song, A memorial service was held on October 4, 1992, at the Forest Lawn Cemetery, in the Hollywood Hills.

He died at his Los Angeles home and was survived by his sisters, Delores Jabara and Claudette Haddad, who took care of his estate until her death in 2023. At the time of his death, major outlets, including The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, were simply told by a spokesman and Claudette, respectively, that he had died due to "a long illness".

On June 14, 2014, Jabara was featured in the first gay-themed tour of Green-Wood Cemetery.

Discography Studio albums Shut Out (Casablanca Records, 1977) Keeping Time (Casablanca, 1978) The Third Album (Casablanca, 1979) Paul Jabara & Friends, with the Weather Girls, Leata Galloway, Whitney Houston (Columbia/CBS, 1983) De La Noche: The True Story – A Poperetta with Leata Galloway (Warner Bros., 1986)

Soundtracks and compilations Original Soundtrack − Thank God It's Friday Greatest Hits... and Misses (Casablanca/PolyGram, 1989) The Casablanca Records Story (PolyGram, 1994) Mother, Jugs and Speed soundtrack

Singles

"One Man Ain't Enough" (1975) "Dance" (1976) "Yankee Doodle Dandy" (1976) "Shut Out" duet with Donna Summer (1977) "Slow Dancing" (1977) "Dancin' (Lift Your Spirits Higher)" (1978) "Pleasure Island" (1978) "Take Good Care of My Baby" / "What's a Girl to Do", Paul Jabara & Pattie Brooks (1978) "Trapped in a Stairway" (1978) "Disco Queen" (1978) "Saturday Matinee" (1978) "Never Lose Your Sense of Humor", duet with Donna Summer (1979) "Disco Wedding" (1979) "Honeymoon (In Puerto Rico)" (1979) "Disco Divorce" (1979) "Ocho Rios" (1986) "This Girl's Back in Town" (1986)

Filmography + Paul Jabara film and television credits Year Title Role Notes 1969 Midnight Cowboy The Party No. 2 Film 1969 Medea Pelias Film 1970 The Out-of-Towners First Hippie (uncredited) Film 1970 Necropolis (uncredited) Film 1971 Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me Heap Film 1971 The Ski Bum Rocco Film 1973 Brothers Blue Teddy Fog Film 1974 The Lords of Flatbush Crazy Cohen Film 1974 The Last Angry Man Myron Malcom TV movie 1975 The Day of the Locust Nightclub Entertainer Film 1975 Peeper Janitor Film 1978 Thank God It's Friday Carl Film 1981 Honky Tonk Freeway T.J. Tupus Film 1985 The Equalizer Music Teacher Episode: "China Rain" 1986 Legal Eagles Taxi Driver Film 1987 Les Patterson Saves the World Leroy Film 1989 Slaves of New York Derelict Film 1991 9 1/2 Ninjas! Mr. Ninja (voice) Film 1992 Light Sleeper Eddie Film 1992 L.A. Law Reporter No. 1 1 episode