Some birthdays are just hard to celebrate. Christmas babies know it. So do folks born on New Year’s Day.
Riley Green’s dad is one of them.
If you’re new to Riley, he’s a 38-year-old country singer from Jacksonville, Alabama, and right now he’s one of the coaches on Season 30 of NBC’s “The Voice.” TODAY covered the news when he signed on as the show’s newest coach, and this short report is a quick way to meet him before we get to the story about his dad.
TODAY’s report on Riley Green joining “The Voice”
Riley’s dad is Kevon Green, and his birthday falls on Jan 1.
That’s a tough draw for a birthday. By the time his day comes around, the Christmas decorations are half packed away and most of the family is still worn out from staying up the night before. A cake can get lost in all that.
That meant Riley had a pretty good idea for a present at his New Year’s Eve show in 2024. He was playing a theater in Durant, Oklahoma, on Dec 31, with a room full of fans. His dad was there to watch him.
So Riley asked for help.
According to American Songwriter, which wrote about fan videos of the night on Jan 5, 2025, Riley asked the crowd to sing “extra loud” for his dad’s birthday. A theater full of strangers did exactly that.
Then Riley told the crowd how old his dad was turning, and plenty of people were surprised.
“79 years old never looked so good, Pops,” Riley said.
Seventy-nine, and there he was at his son’s New Year’s Eve show.
And what did Kevon do while all those people sang to him?
Not a whole lot, and honestly that’s the best part.
American Songwriter reported that he stood and quietly took it all in, his face full of pride, while the crowd sang. At the end, he gave his son a fatherly wave.
One fan who saw the video online put it nicely. In the comments, they called it a “nod of approval.” Those are a commenter’s words, not Riley’s, but anyone who grew up with a quiet dad knows that look. A lot of fathers from that generation said more with a wave across a room than with a whole speech.
The moment was filmed by fans and shared on social media. TikTok user @BrittneySchober filmed one of the clips, according to the article. We couldn’t find a copy on YouTube, so if you want to see the wave for yourself, the fan videos on social media are the place to look.
Riley is booked to play on New Year’s Eve again this year, and his dad’s birthday will roll around right after midnight once more. Nobody has said whether Pops will be in the crowd this time. Riley probably wouldn’t mind asking for a second choir.