Life and career

Janie Bradford was born in Charleston, Missouri, on June 2, 1939.[1][2]

Other hits by Bradford include “Too Busy Thinking About My Baby” by Marvin Gaye (although originally by The Temptations), and later by The Manhattan Transfer with Phil Collins, “Contract On Love” by Little Stevie Wonder[3] and “Your Old Standby” for Mary Wells. She worked at Motown for more than 25 years. Among other notable songs she has written or cowritten 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.[4] 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”.[5]

Bradford was the executive director of the Janie Bradford HAL Scholarship Fund and producer of the Heroes And Legends a.k.a. HAL Awards, an annual event that raises funds for performing arts scholarships while paying tribute to entertainment legends, including many of Motown’s biggest stars.[6] She also established Twinn Records with songwriter and singer Marilyn McLeod.[7]

Bradford died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles at the age of 87 after an extended illness on August 21, 2026.[8]