Today, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Nicki Bluhm pays tribute to the late prolific Stax Records songwriter Bettye Crutcher by sharing her empowering rendition of “How Strong Is A Woman,” released on what would’ve been her 87th birthday. Originally written by Crutcher and cut by Ann Peebles in 1972, the song was updated by Bluhm and Grammy-winning producer Matt Ross-Spang, who worked closely with Crutcher shortly before her passing to revise its lyrics, which now emphasize how the true strength of a woman is rooted in self-love.
“Reexploring this song was both an honor and an undertaking,” says Bluhm, who cut this new version at the iconic Sam Phillips Recording Services in Memphis. “A lot has changed in those 50+ years, and as we’ve evolved, the meaning in this title has too. I think Bettye understood that better than anyone, which is why she was open to modernizing the lyrics with Matt Ross-Spang and me. Matt is a very dear friend, exceptional producer and deep appreciator of musical history. We have made a lot of music together, and this collaboration between him, Bettye and myself was really special. As we communed in Bettye’s home – her elegantly smoking Parliaments – the biggest lyrical departure we agreed upon was changing the original line, ‘A woman is strong as the need of the man she loves’ to ‘A woman is strongest when she has her own self-love.’ The takeaway, of course, being that a woman’s strength is not dependent on a man, but rather on how she honors and values herself. Music carries mantras, and I hope this is one that young women of today can hear and live by.”
Photo Credit: Alysse Gafkjen
TheWaster.com | Listen Up
9.17.2026
