Motown has lost part of its bedrock.
Janie Bradford, one of Motown's earliest employees and first hit songwriters, died Friday, Aug. 21, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles following an extended illness, her family announced. She was 87.
The Missouri native, who moved to Detroit as a young adult, was Berry Gordy's first receptionist, part of the small founding staff at Hitsville as the Motown founder got his operation up and running in 1959.
Bradford's songwriting chops became apparent to Gordy that summer, when she offhandedly piped up with a line for a composition in the works: "Your love gives me such a thrill / But your love don't pay my bills." It became part of the song "Money (That's What I Want)," recorded by Barrett Strong to become
the legendary company's first hit.
Her creative resume went on to include cowrites on songs by Marvin Gaye ("Too Busy Thinking About My Baby"), Mary Wells ("Your Old Standby"), Stevie Wonder ("Contract on Love") and more. She would eventually become the label's director of writer relations.
Berry Gordy remembers 'clever,' 'witty' Janie Bradford
In a statement provided to the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, Gordy said Bradford "will forever be an important part of the Motown family and the Motown legacy."
"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. "Janie was smart, clever, witty, and fun. She was also talented and determined. In those early days, everybody did what was needed to be done, and Janie was no exception. She became Motown's first receptionist, but her talents quickly took her far beyond that desk."
Among her career accolades was her June induction into the Women's Songwriters Hall of Fame. The longtime Los Angeles resident reflected on the "privilege" of being part of a journey of "love, hope and change" in her work with Motown.
Bradford may not have been a household name outside the Motown universe, but within it she was deeply adored and admired. She was a constant, bright presence at events through the decades and – via her annual Heroes and Legends Awards show in L.A. – seen as something of a family reunion coordinator.
The HAL Awards were held for three decades until 2022, when Bradford acknowledged that the loss of key Motown figures had made the event logistically difficult.
"With so many passing on, with so few of us left, it's gotten harder to pull it together each year to keep the excitement going," Bradford told the Free Press that year.
She also spoke about the unique bond shared by those who had written the Motown story together all those years ago in Detroit.
"When other companies talk about family, it's different. Motown really did become a family from day one," she said. "That's still there for us whenever we're together. Even if we haven't seen someone in years, it [comes back] like yesterday. We reach out to each other. We need each other. We lend a helping hand."
Bradford's devotion to the label's living history was celebrated by the Motown Museum in a statement.
"Motown Museum is grateful for her enthusiastic support – she often attended exhibit openings, Founder's Day celebrations, galas, and mentored participants of Hitsville NEXT educational programs," the statement read. "Motown Museum continues to celebrate and honor Janie Bradford, and her immense contributions to the Motown legacy."
Bradford is survived by her husband of 55 years, Wardean Hobbs; her son Lance Finney and daughter-in-law Carolyn; her daughter, Nicole Hobbs; two grandsons, Bradford and Austin, and other family, friends and Motown peers.
Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Berry Gordy remembers Motown receptionist turned hit songwriter Janie Bradford
