Columbia matrix W148533. I got what it takes (But it breaks my heart to give it away) / Bessie Smith

TitleSource
I got what it takes (But it breaks my heart to give it away) (Primary title)Disc label (RDI)
Authors and ComposersNotes
Hezekiah Jenkins (lyricist)
Clarence Williams (composer)
Composer information source: Disc label; U.S. Copyright Office files.
PersonnelNotes
Bessie Smith (vocalist)
Ed Allen (instrumentalist : cornet)
Greely Walton (instrumentalist : tenor saxophone)
Clarence Williams (instrumentalist : piano)
Cyrus St. Clair (instrumentalist : tuba)
Garvin Bushell (instrumentalist : alto saxophone)
Additional Information
  • Description: Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with instrumental quintet
  • Instrumentation: Tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, cornet, tuba, and piano
  • Category: Vocal
  • Language: English
  • Master Size: 10-in.
Take Date and PlaceTakeStatusLabel Name/NumberFormatNote
5/15/1929 New York, New York 1 Unknown
5/15/1929 New York, New York 2 Master Columbia 14435-D 10-in.
5/15/1929 New York, New York 3 Master Columbia 14435-D 10-in.

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Columbia matrix W148533. I got what it takes (But it breaks my heart to give it away) / Bessie Smith," accessed December 11, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/2000038094/W148533-I_got_what_it_takes_But_it_breaks_my_heart_to_give_it_away.

Columbia matrix W148533. I got what it takes (But it breaks my heart to give it away) / Bessie Smith. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 11, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/2000038094/W148533-I_got_what_it_takes_But_it_breaks_my_heart_to_give_it_away.

"Columbia matrix W148533. I got what it takes (But it breaks my heart to give it away) / Bessie Smith." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 11 December 2025.

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