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.
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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 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.
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Gordy 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 before anyone knew what Motown would become,” Gordy continued. “She was one of the people who helped make Motown what it became.”
Bradford Hobbs later became head of Writer Relations for Jobete, Motown’s publishing company. After leaving Motown, she founded the annual Heroes and Legends Awards, which honored figures in the music industry and awarded scholarships for about 30 years, according to her family.
She is survived by her husband, Wardean Hobbs; daughter, Nicole Hobbs; son, Lance Finney; and two grandsons. Funeral arrangements have not been completed.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
