Janie Bradford, Motown’s Low-Key Legend, Dies at 87
Janie Bradford Hobbs, the pioneering songwriter who co-wrote Motown’s early hit “Money (That’s What I Want)” and “Too Busy Thinking About My Baby,” has died at age 87. Her family confirmed she passed away on Saturday following an extended illness at a Los Angeles hospital. Bradford was a quiet force behind the Motown sound, crafting lyrics that became anthems for generations.
Born in Charleston, Missouri, Bradford moved to Detroit to live with her sister, singer Clea Ethel, and joined Berry Gordy’s operation in 1958. She quickly became one of the label’s most trusted writers, penning songs for Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, and Martha & the Vandellas. Her signature song, “Money (That’s What I Want),” was one of Motown’s earliest major successes, and she also co-wrote Marvin Gaye’s hit “Too Busy Thinking About My Baby.” Beyond writing, Bradford served as head of Writer Relations for Jobete, Motown’s publishing company, nurturing the creative talent that defined the label.
Gordy remembered Bradford as part of the “Original Motown Family,” describing her and others as unsung figures who believed in the company before it became a music powerhouse. In a statement to the Detroit Free Press, Gordy said Bradford “will forever be an important part of the Motown family and the Motown legacy.” Bradford herself reflected on that closeness, saying, “Mickey (Stevenson) and all of us had that family kind of relationship.”
After her Motown years, Bradford founded the Heroes and Legends Awards, which honored artists and industry figures for three decades until 2022. She acknowledged that the loss of key Motown figures made the event logistically difficult to continue. Janie Bradford’s words became the soundtrack of countless lives, and her legacy as a low-key legend will endure.
Shimanta Das 
