Joe Madison

Early years

Madison was raised in Ohio and maintained a close relationship with his parents and grandparents who were influential during his youth. He was educated in the Ohio public school system and after graduation from high school, he entered college. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Washington University in St. Louis. During college, he was an All-Conference Running Back and baritone soloist with the University's concert chorus. Madison spent his young adulthood in various positions in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and was selected Executive Director of Detroit's NAACP branch at the age of 24. He is the youngest person to be appointed to the position.

He did public relations at General Motors Corporation, 1969-70. He was a "statistician" for the St Louis Cardinal Football club, 1970-71. He worked in urban affairs at Seymour & Lundy Assoc, 1971-74.

He was executive director of NAACP's Detroit Branch, 1974-77. Benjamin Hooks appointed him NAACP national political director in 1978. He was also political director of the SEIU, and a director of COTE. He is a former member of NAACP's national board, and remains a life member.

Radio career

Madison began his broadcasting career in 1980 at Detroit's legendary WXYZ-AM radio station.

WWRC

Joining an otherwise white lineup at WWRC-AM in the early '90s, he developed a crossover appeal handling issues that included race but were aimed at the station's multiracial audience. He left in 1998, after the station fired its talent and changed format, to start an online chat show.

WOL and XM Satellite Radio

The nation's capital's preeminent black talk station, WOL-AM, became his catapult to further impact, including syndication on the Radio One Talk Network and its XM satellite channel. He left WOL in 2013.

Urban View on Sirius

Madison can now be heard Mondays through Fridays from 6am to 10am on Urban View channel 126, XM Sirius.

In 2013 and 2014, Joe Madison hosted events pertaining to the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. Special guests included former Johnson Publishing Company news reporter and their Washington, DC Bureau Chief Simeon Booker, Rev. Bernice King (youngest daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) and Luci Baines Johnson (youngest daughter of President Lyndon Johnson) and singer/activist Harry Belafonte.

On Feb. 25 – 27, 2015, Joe Madison hosted a record-breaking marathon whereby he talked for 52 hours on his SIRIUS XM talk show. The broadcast is officially registered with the Guinness World Record Organization. During the marathon, he could only take three small breaks every hour. Only at the top of the hour could he actually leave the studio (restroom break, etc.). There was a camera that was recording and watching his every move. Volunteers were brought in to be witnesses and timekeepers, for documentation purposes, in accordance with the Guinness World Record Organization policies. The marathon served as a platform to raise money, from his listeners and supporters, for the building of the new National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington, DC. The museum director, Dr. Lonnie Bunch, was a guest Joe Madison interviewed during the marathon. Several politicians, celebrities, historians, other SIRIUS talk show hosts, etc. were also guests. Various local TV news stations stopped by to film and interview Joe while he was on the air.

Political activism

In addition to his broadcasts, Madison has engaged in hunger strikes and supported causes ranging from Sudanese slavery to securing a star for the Four Tops on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. On February 2, 2015, comedian and activist Dick Gregory finally received his Star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame. This was largely due to Joe Madison’s support in raising the $30,000.00 fee (by actively asking his SIRIUS talk show listeners to donate because of the significance of Dick Gregory being honored) required to receive a Hollywood Star. In two weeks, the entire amount was raised, thanks to Joe’s efforts.

He publicized claims of CIA complicity in moving cocaine into the United States, sought evidence, and promoted legislation to declassify possibly related documents. On October 15, 1996, Madison, Dick Gregory, and John Newman launched a hunger strike to promote this legislation.

Personal life

Joe Madison has managed to trace his origins genetically back to Sierra Leone and Mozambique. He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife Sharon (Sherry) and is a father and grandfather.