Janie Bradford

Janie Bradford Hobbs As a child she moved with her family to Detroit as part of the great migration of African Americans out of the rural South. While still in her teens, she was working at Motown Records as a receptionist when she contributed lyrics to "Money (That's What I Want)". and "Your Old Standby" for Mary Wells. She worked at Motown for more than 25 years. Among other notable songs she has written or co‑written are: "I Am Me", recorded by Diana Ross, "All the Love I've Got" and "Tie a String Around Your Finger", both recorded by The Marvelettes, "Don't Compare Me With Her" for Kim Weston, and "Plant a Seed", recorded by The Oak Ridge Boys. She also co-wrote the early Supremes track "Time Changes Things" and one of the final songs recorded by the Supremes, "We Should Be Closer Together".

Bradford moved to Los Angeles in 1970 when Motown transferred operations there. She left the company at the end of that decade. She also established Twinn Records with songwriter and singer Marilyn McLeod.

Bradford married Wardean Hobbs in 1971. She died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, at the age of 87, after an extended illness on August 21, 2026.