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BIOGRAPHY

The Backstreet Boys have sung their way into the hearts of music lovers everywhere. Since 1993, their rockin' rhythms and honeyed harmonies have burned up the charts in Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada, and last but not least, the UNITED STATES. Today, the backstreet boys are superstars with millions of fans on every continent. But when they were just starting out, Kevin, Brian, AJ, Howie, and Nick were just five guys who loved to sing--and who shared a dream. Here's the story of how their dream came true.

Orlando, Florida: That's where it all began. In 1993, dreaming of musical stardom, twenty-year-old Kevin Richardson moved to Orlando from his Kentucky home. Kevin found a job at Disney WOrld, guiding tours and appearing as Aladdin and one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

But he dreamed of a different life as a singer-song writer. Kevin shared his vision with a co-worker, who introduced him to "three guys who harmonize all the time" ---local teenagers AJ, Howie, and Nick. Kevin's friend didn't know it, but he'd given Kevin the key to his future. Four of the five Backstreet Boys had found each other!

For years, AJ, Nick, and Howie kept bumping into each other at acting and singing auditions around Orlando. While they waited, they'd harmonize. They loved singing together, so they found a manager, formed a group--and most important, became fast friends. When they met Kevin, AJ, Nick, and Howie knew they'd found a soul mate. But they wanted one more singer to round out the group. The guys auditioned dozens of vocalists, but couldn't find just the right mix of talent and personality.

Then Kevin had a brainstorm. He made an early morning phone call to his cousin, Brian Littrell, in school back home in Kentucky. When Brian was called out of his history class, he thought that he was in serious trouble. Instead, the very next day he found himself on an airplane headed for Orlando...and the Backstreet Boys were ready to take on the WORLD!!!

The five guys named their brand new group after a local landmark, an Orlando teen hangout called the Backstreet Market. In their first gigs at high schools, clubs, and tourist spots like Sea World, the boys made a splash. Soon, the backstreet boys were a local sensation, and it didn't take them long to find a larger audience. At one of their live shows, their manager held up her cellular phone so that a music executive at Jive Records could hear their singing--and their frenzied fans! The exec loved what he heard. He signed the group, and the next thing they knew, the Backstreet Boys were flying to Stockholm, Sweden.

That's where the band recorded "We've Got It Goin' On", which climbed the European charts so fast that the Backstreet Boys never looked back. Their singles got radio play all over Europe and Asia, and their concerts drew sell-out crowds. Even before their first album, Backstreet Boys, was released in 1996, the guys were international stars. They made blockbuster concert tours of Europe, Asia, Australia, and Canada--and then, in 1997, they set their sights on home.

The American version of Backstreet Boys was released in the United States in August 12, 1997, soon after the guys came home. American fans knew a great thing when they heard it. The album swiftly made Billboard's Top Ten, and a single, "Quit Playing Games" became a monster hit since June 10, 1997. Soon, the voices of the Backstreet Boys could be heard on every pop radio station in America, their videos filled TV screens, and their faces appeared on magazine covers all over the country. As they planned an American concert tour for the summer of 1998, Kevin, Brian, AJ, Howie and Nick knew that musically, they had already conquered the world.

No matter how famous they may become, though, the Backstreet Boys are still the people they were when they first started out: five guys who love to sing--and who share a dream.