Motown songwriter Janie Bradford dies at 87

Janie Bradford, one of the architects of Motown Records' earliest sound, has died at 87. Her death was announced by the R&B Hall of Fame, which inducted her in 2015. Bradford was born in Charleston, Missouri, and later moved with her family to Detroit.

A neighbor's connection to singer Jackie Wilson led Bradford to Motown founder Berry Gordy, and she joined the fledgling label in 1958 as a secretary. Gordy quickly recognized she had more to offer, and Bradford became Motown's first female songwriter. She co-wrote the label's breakthrough early hit, "Money (That's What I Want)," with Gordy, a song first recorded by Barrett Strong that went on to be covered by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Flying Lizards.

Over more than two decades at Motown, Bradford contributed to a long list of recordings, including Marvin Gaye's "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby," Mary Wells' "Your Old Standby" and Stevie Wonder's "Contract on Love," along with songs for the Supremes, the Marvelettes, Kim Weston and Carolyn Crawford. She also moved into a behind-the-scenes leadership role at the label, eventually becoming Motown's director of writer relations.

Bradford's influence continued well beyond her years at Motown. She founded the Heroes and Legends (HAL) Scholarship Fund and created the annual HAL Awards, which honor entertainment industry veterans while raising scholarship money for young people pursuing careers in the performing arts.

Bradford was present at Motown almost from its start, when the label was still more idea than institution, and her songwriting helped shape the sound that would define R&B for decades to come.