Janie Bradford, Who Co-Wrote Motown's First Hit 'Money,' Dies at 87
Janie Bradford Hobbs, the songwriter who co-wrote "Money (That's What I Want)" — one of the earliest and most enduring hits in Motown's catalog — died on August 22, 2026, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles following an extended illness. She was 87. Her family announced her death on a Saturday, ABC News reported, while the Detroit Free Press confirmed the location of her death.
Born on June 2, 1939, in Charleston, Missouri, Bradford moved to Detroit as a young woman. A neighbor — the singer Jackie Wilson — introduced her to Berry Gordy in the late 1950s. She joined his fledgling record company in 1958 as Motown's first receptionist.
It did not stay a desk job. Bradford and Gordy co-wrote "Money (That's What I Want)," recorded by Barrett Strong in 1959. The song became an early Motown hit and went on to be covered more than two hundred times — most famously by The Beatles, who turned it into one of their own standout tracks. The HistoryMakers documents the breadth of those covers.
Bradford's writing credits extended across the label's roster. She wrote songs for Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, and Martha & The Vandellas. "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby," first recorded by The Temptations, later became a hit for Marvin Gaye.
She worked at Motown for more than 25 years, eventually rising to head of Writer Relations for Jobete, the label's publishing arm — the division that managed the rights to Motown's song catalog. After leaving the company, she founded the annual Heroes and Legends Awards, an event that honored music icons and funded scholarships for roughly three decades.
Berry Gordy issued a statement honoring Bradford as part of the original Motown family. The label he built from a Detroit row house grew into one of the most influential forces in American popular music, and Bradford was there at the start — answering phones, writing songs, and helping shape the sound that came out of those rooms.
Bradford is survived by her husband, Wardean Hobbs; daughter Nicole Hobbs; son Lance Finney; and two grandsons.
Her name sits on one of the most covered songs in rock-and-roll history. She was 87.
