Janie Bradford Hobbs, an early Motown songwriter who co-wrote "Money (That’s What I Want)" and penned songs recorded by Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and other music legends, has died after an extended illness at 87.Bradford Hobbs died at a Los Angeles hospital, her family said Saturday.Born in Charleston, Missouri, Bradford Hobbs later moved to Detroit, where neighbor and singer Jackie Wilson introduced her to Motown founder Berry Gordy in the late 1950s.COMMODORES CO-FOUNDER AND FORMER BASSIST RONALD LAPREAD DEAD AT 75Janie Bradford attends the Mary Wilson tribute at The GRAMMY Museum on March 04, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.(Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)She started working for Motown as a receptionist in 1958, but her role soon went well beyond answering phones.
Like many employees in Motown’s early days, Bradford Hobbs became involved in making the music.She and Gordy wrote "Money (That’s What I Want)," which Barrett Strong recorded in 1959.The song became one of Motown’s first hits and was later recorded by The Beatles.Bradford Hobbs also wrote "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby." The Temptations recorded the song first, and Marvin Gaye later had a hit with it.
She also wrote songs for Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, Martha & The Vandellas and others.Janie Bradford, left, and George Clinton attend a ceremony honoring Clinton with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Jan.19, 2024, in Los Angeles.
(Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)"Janie was there with me from the very beginning, before there was even a Motown, and she will always hold a very special place in my heart and in the Motown family," Gordy said in a statement.COUNTRY MUSIC ICON DON SCHLITZ, WHO WROTE KENNY ROGERS' HIT 'THE GAMBLER,' DEAD AT 73Gordy described Bradford Hobbs as one of the people who believed in Motown before anyone knew what it would become."Janie was one of a special group I have always thought of as the original Motown family — the unsung heroes who believed in the dream ...