Madison was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. He spent the early 1970s as a fixture on the Worcester common and Main South, and making music on Castle Street, Elm Park and Highland Street in Worcester. Early in his life, Mr. Butch showed a distinct talent in making people smile, especially through music. In the mid-to-late-1970s, after completing his studies at Berklee College of Music, Mr. Butch was often seen on the streets near that school, playing a Fender Stratocaster guitar, with an open tuning that allowed him to play chords with a single finger. His dreadlock hairstyle and choice of guitar invited comparisons with Jimi Hendrix.