Motown pioneer Janie Bradford, who helped shape the label from the beginning, dies at 87

One of Motown’s earliest employees, Bradford helped write the label’s first major hit and preserve its legacy for generations.

Janie Bradford, one of Motown’s earliest employees and a co-writer of the label’s first major hit, “Money (That’s What I Want),” has died at 87. Bradford helped build and preserve the sense of family and history that became central to the Motown legacy.

A Missouri native who moved to Detroit as a young adult, Janie Bradford joined Berry Gordy during the earliest days of his record company in 1959. She became Motown’s first receptionist and one of the label’s first employees. But Bradford’s contribution quickly extended far beyond answering phones and greeting visitors.

That same year, while Gordy was developing a song, Bradford casually offered a lyric that would become part of “Money (That’s What I Want),” recorded by Barrett Strong. The song became Motown’s first hit and helped establish the Detroit label that would go on to define an era of American music.

Bradford continued to develop her songwriting career, earning co-writing credits on songs associated with artists including Marvin Gaye, Mary Wells and Stevie Wonder. As reported by Detroit Free Press, she later became Motown’s director of writer relations. Her connection to Motown remained strong long after she moved on from the company’s early operations. Bradford became one of the people who helped preserve the relationships and memories of Motown’s formative years.

Berry Gordy remembered Bradford as someone whose talents quickly took her beyond her original role at the company. “Janie was there with me from the very beginning,” Gordy said.

She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Wardean Hobbs; her son, Lance Finney; daughter, Nicole Hobbs; two grandsons and other family and friends. Funeral arrangements are pending.