Janie Bradford
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Janie Bradford was the receptionist at Hitsville U.S.A., the house on West Grand Boulevard in Detroit where Berry Gordy ran Motown Records.
With Gordy, Janie Bradford co-authored Motown's first big hit, Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)", while she and Strong were still both high school students.
While working for a major record label in California, Janie saw first hand the challenges that young entertainers faced when attempting to break into the entertainment industry. In a conversation between her and good friend, music producer and songwriter, [Eric Wheelwright], she explained that it broke her heart to see young peoples' dreams crushed after meeting with the label in hopes of landing a record deal. The part that bothered her most was the fact that if the record executive did not like the product that was being presented to them they would not offer an explanation to the young people regarding the reason they where not interested or what they could do to improve themselves. Her concern was that if no one offered the young people any guidance or advice, how would they ever learn. This lead her to found the Heroes And Legends awards (H.A.L.) which is hosted in Beverly Hills, California each year. The award show is a scholarship fund-raiser to assist youths involved in the arts with furthering their education. It also connects them with industry executives in the fields of television and film as well as music. Berry Gordy is among one of the many contributors and event attendees each year. Past guests and performers have included Janet Jackson, Boys II Men, [Eric Wheelwright] and Stevie Wonder to name only a few.
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