-Formed in Orlando, Florida, USA, in the mid-'90s. -Managed by former 'New Kids On The Block' team Johnny and Donna Wright, they began their careers by making a breakthrough in Europe rather than their domestic market.
-Their success began in 1995 when the single "We've Got It Goin' On" became a hit in Germany, and then began to get big in the rest of Europe.
-Reissues of earlier singles broke them into the UK Top 10 for the first time in 1996.
-Further huge hits followed with "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)" and "Anywhere For You". In 1997, their self-titled debut album repeated this success, although it was only made available in Europe.
-"Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" became a huge hit, and was instrumental in helping the group break into the US music scene, when it reached number 4 on the charts in June 1998.
-Millennium was a major success, topping the U.S. album charts at the start of June 1999 and selling two million copies in three weeks.
-Last year, The Backstreet Boys made it to No. 10 on MTV's 100 Greatest Pop Songs and their new album, Black And Blue, went on sale Nov. 21, 2000.
1993- Lou Pearlman holds an open audition for an all boy band in Orlando, Florida. Nick, Kevin, AJ, and Howie are chosen from the thousands.
1993- On April 19, Brian Littrell receives a call from his cousin Kevin to come to audition. The next day Brian is on a plane to Orlando.
1993-1995- The BSB play at theme parks, junior high schools and high schools. They win over many fans by singing a ceppella covers of their fav. Boyz II Men and Color MeBadd songs.
1994- Their manager, Donna Wright has the Boys perform for an executive at Jive Records. Jive signs the Backstreet Boys.
1995- Their first single,"We've got it goin' on" is released in the US and doesn't make it higher than 65 on Billboard's Top 100. But in Germany, where the single was released earlier, it tops the charts. The Boys tour Europe in 95' and 96'.
1996- Their first album Backstreet Boys, is released in April, selling more than 11 million copies and is certified platinum in 26 countries. The BSB are a smash in Germany and in Canada.
1997- The Boys tour the US and release their album in the US in August. Jive promotes their album heavily, giving free BSB cassetes with JC Penney makeup at cheerleader camps and with books in the romance series Love Stories.The result? "Quit Playing Games With My Heart" and "As Long As You Love Me" hit the airwaves and never leave. Finally, the BSB are a huge hit in the US!
1998- In May, Brian undergoes heart surgery to repair a heart murmur- a hole in his heart. More sadness comes when Howie's sister, Caroline, dies from Lupus and Brian and Kevin's grandfather passes away.
1999- In May, Millennium is released. One by one, the album's singles become number one hits: "Larger than Life", "I want it that a way", "Show me the meaning of bring lonley" and "The One". In October, Mayor Glenda Hood of Orlando declares October 7 as Backstreet Boys day in America. In November, The Boys embark on their "Into The Millennium" tour. The Boys win countless awards including Billboard Music awards, Smash Hits awards and World Music awards.
2000- The Boys tour until March. In April, they hit the studio again to write and record their newest album, which will be tentatively released on Oct. 10, 2000. Burger King promotes their tour and offers free BSB cds and videos at their restaurants.