Butterfield was born and raised in Wilson, North Carolina in a prominent family of mixed European-American, the son of Addie Lourine (née Davis) and George Kenneth Butterfield, both of whom were mixed race Americans.
Butterfield was born and raised in Wilson, North Carolina in a prominent African-American family. He is the son of Addie Lourine (née Davis) and George Kenneth Butterfield, both of whom were mixed race Americans.