Don Graves made history in 2025 as the oldest person ever to sign a Nashville recording contract. A year later, he is still performing, still telling his stories, and still very much here.
In May 2025, a 100-year-old Marine walked into Starstruck Studios in Nashville and did something no one his age had ever done: he signed a recording contract. Don Graves, a World War II veteran and survivor of the Battle of Iwo Jima, became the oldest person in Nashville history to ink a record deal — and the story went viral for good reason.
Now 102 and living in Fort Worth, Texas, Graves is still active on the public stage, appearing at major events and continuing to share the stories of the men he fought alongside eight decades ago.
The Only One Who Came Back
Graves served as a flamethrower operator with the 5th Marine Division during the Battle of Iwo Jima in early 1945. He was the only member of his unit to survive — one of the bloodiest engagements of the Pacific War, in which nearly 7,000 U.S. Marines were killed and more than 19,000 wounded over 36 days of fighting.
“We formed the best crack division the Marine Corps had,” Graves said at the time of the Nashville recording. “We lost 7,000 kids on the island.”
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Read more →He was also present for one of the war's most enduring images — the raising of the American flag on Mount Suribachi, later captured in what became one of the most recognized photographs in history.
“When it went up, 520 ships right in the bay let go with their horns and whistles and rockets, everything that could go on fire in the air,” Graves recalled. “It was a spectacle.”
A Songwriter's Mission
Nashville songwriter Jason Sever traveled to Texas with a simple goal: to listen. What he heard over those hours became the foundation for a song titled “The Sand of Iwo Jima.”
“A guy like Don — he's my Elvis Presley,” Sever said. “All the accolades in the world, the hit songs and stuff like that, that's cool, but getting to write a story about a guy like that is like hanging with Elvis to me.”
The finished track brought together two of country music's most recognizable voices. Lee Greenwood, best known for “God Bless the U.S.A.,” contributed to the recording, while John Rich spent time in the studio speaking with Graves directly about his wartime experiences. Graves signed the deal with BMI.
Still on Stage at 102
If the Nashville chapter seemed like a fitting capstone to an extraordinary life, Graves has made clear he is not finished.
In February 2026, he performed “God Bless America” for the crowd at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. The following month, he appeared as a guest of honor at the “Taste of Texas Independence” celebration in Grapevine, Texas, where he sang the National Anthem and shared stories from his service. He also participated in an “Iwo Jima Reunion 2026” podcast episode, discussing a Marine's return to the island where so many of his fellow soldiers lost their lives.
It is a remarkable level of public engagement for anyone — let alone a man born in 1924.
Graves had already been performing publicly well before Nashville came calling. He sang the National Anthem at a NASCAR race at Texas Motor Speedway, a moment that drew wide attention and offered an early glimpse of the energy and presence he would bring to the studio.
He has said he never imagined becoming a recording artist, but that he is proud to use the music to honor the men he fought alongside — and who did not come home.
Why the Story Travels
That spirit came through clearly in his own words during the 2025 recording session.
“We were people who wanted to defeat the enemy because we loved our country, and they were going to take it away from us,” he said.
Don Graves turned 102 in 2026. At an age when most people have long since stepped back from public life, he is still on stage, still telling his stories, and still carrying the memory of 7,000 Marines who never got the chance to tell theirs.
“The Sand of Iwo Jima” was recorded at Starstruck Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, in May 2025. Don Graves resides in Fort Worth, Texas.
