Born 38 Years Ago Today in Alabama, the Division I Quarterback Turned Country Star Bringing the Neotraditional Sound Back to the Charts

On this day (October 18) in 1988, Jonathan Riley Green was born in Jacksonville, Alabama. Getting his start doggedly playing venues in his home state, he has risen through the ranks to become of country radio’s biggest stars, with multiple number-one hits including “Worst Way” and the red-hot Ella Langley collaborations “You Look Like You Love Me” and “Don’t Mind If I Do”. These days, when Green isn’t selling out arenas all over the U.S., you can catch him mentoring up-and-coming artists on season 30 of NBC’s The Voice.

Today, we’re taking a look at the life and career of Riley Green in honor of his 38th birthday.

Riley Green’s Grandfather Inspired Him to Pursue Music

Growing up in Alabama, music and football were ways of life for Riley Green. His grandfather, Buford Green, ran a local music venue and introduced him to classic country staples like Roy Acuff, Merle Haggard, George Jones, and fellow Alabaman Hank Williams.

Before embarking on his country music career, Green attended Jacksonville State University, where he played quarterback for the Gamecocks NCAA Division I football team. After leaving college, he worked in construction while performing country cover songs at small venues on the weekend. However, Green initially had no aspirations of turning pro.

“I didn’t have any visions of commercial success,” he told Cowboys & Indians magazine in 2025. “It wasn’t that I didn’t want it. I just didn’t think I was good enough. I was playing cover songs and they’d let me drink for free… And I got tired of playing the same country cover songs at every show, and that’s when I started writing my own songs.”

Breaking Into Country Music

Riley Green independently released a self-titled EP in 2013. The following year, he competed on — and won — Season 5 of the CMT reality competition series Redneck Island.

Taking advantage of his wider public profile, Green released three more EPs in 2015, 2016, and 2017. This led to a record deal with the Big Machine Label Group in 2018, and his debut single, “There Was This Girl”, went to number one on country radio the same year.

In 2019, Green made his major label debut with Different Round Here, which yielded the top 20 single “I Wish Grandpas Never Died”. Taking home New Male Artist of the Year honors from the Academy of Country Music in 2019, he opened for Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen before releasing his sophomore album, Ain’t My Last Rodeo, in 2023.

[RELATED: Riley Green Says His Busy Schedule Is Taking a Toll on What Matters Most to Him]

In addition to releasing two more albums — 2024’s Don’t Mind If I Do and 2026’s That’s Just Me — Green has branched out to the small screen. Currently starring on season 30 of The Voice, he also made his acting debut earlier this year as a former Navy SEAL on CBS’ Marshals.

Featured image by Derek White/Getty Images for SiriusXM