Janie Bradford, the songwriter who helped pen Motown's first real hit, "Money (That's What I Want)," has died at 87. Her family announced that she passed away Aug. 21 at a Los Angeles hospital following an extended illness.
Long before she was writing hits for Motown's biggest stars, Bradford was a preacher's daughter from Charleston, Missouri, raised near Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church, where her father served as pastor. Music first found her in the pews, singing alongside her family before her sister, Clea, went on to become a jazz vocalist.
Bradford moved to Detroit as a teenager and, through a chance introduction by neighbor and singer Jackie Wilson, met Motown founder Berry Gordy in the late 1950s. She joined the label as a receptionist in 1958, and it was there - sharing her poetry with Gordy - that "Money (That's What I Want)" was born. First recorded by Barrett Strong in 1959, the song was later covered by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, becoming one of the most influential songs in Motown's catalog.
"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.
Bradford went on to write for Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, and Marvin Gaye, and later founded the Heroes and Legends Awards, honoring music icons and funding scholarships for students for over 30 years. She was inducted into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame just months before her death.
She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Wardean; her children, Lance and Nicole; and her grandsons.
