In the Early 90's, A.J., Howie and Nick were all Orlando-based teenagers auditioning for commercials, TV shows and the occasional film. Howie was a verteran of children's theater adn had a first flush of success with tiny roles in movies like Parenthood and Cop And A Half. A.J., meanwhile, had studied dance and was a skilled puppeteer and a natural cut-up. Singing was an afterthought. "I wanted to be a dancer or an actor," he says, "I never really wanted to be a singer, but it just kind of went that way." Not so for Nick, who lived to sing. He spent the 1991 and 1992 football seasons as a featured vocalist at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' half-time show. He also turned down a role on a TV show just to join Backstreet Boys. "I got called back by The Mickey Mouse Club and Backstreet Boys all at the same time," reveals Nick. "Of course, I turned MMC down for Backstreet Boys, but it was kind of scary."
Kevin Richardson entered the picture when a friend he met at an Orlando club mentioned the vocal group. Kevin, working at Walt Disney World to pay rent, auditioned. "There were two other members who didn't work out and I replaced one of them," Kevin recalls. "Then, we needed another member. Brian's my cousin, and I called him up and he came down to Florida...and he auditioned."
Backstreet Boys' first single "We Got It Goin' On" made a slight ripple on the Hot 100 charts in the U.S. but blew up in Canada and Western Europe. The Boys were soon fielding invitations to perform on MuchMusic in Canada, Top Of The Pops in the U.K. and many more TV music shows. Leaving the U.S. behind, they spent the next year touring Europe and Canada.
Finally, on August 12, 1997, they released Backstreet Boys, their first American full-length CD. Blending their most popular songs from their international debut as well as tunes from their European follow-up CD, Backstreet's Back, it had a little something for everyone.
Backstreet Boys' success at home is finally catching up with their fame abroad. "The whole thing is like a dream come true," says Kevin. "Coming home to the United States where all my friends and family can see what is really going on has got me very excited."
What's next for Backstreet Boys? Well, after a winter tour of Europe they'll be back in Orlando to do five shows at Walt Disney World's annual grad night celebration. After that, they're scheduled to perform a live show in Boston and then begin more American springtime dates.
No matter how huge Backstreet Boys grow, Nick, A.J., Kevin, Brian and Howie want one thing to remain perfectly clear-they're in show business for the love of the music. "We want to be perceived as five guys who love to sing, love to perform, who love to share the gifts of music that we have with the whole world," says Brian. "We finally have an opportunity to focus on the U.S. because it's very personal to us. I'm very excited and happy...and we owe it all to the fans." Adds Howie, "I think we all hoped and dreamed about it...but you can never expect it. It's a blessing. We thank God every day for helping us."
Full Name: Nicholas Gene Carter
Date of Birth: January 28, 1980 which makes him a Aquarius
Place of Birth: Jamestown NY
Nicknames: "Chaos", "Frack", "Nick", "Messy Marvin"
Height: 6' 1"
Weight: Approximately 140 lbs
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blonde
Ethnic Background: "I am Blackfoot Indian and I might have a bit of Spanish blood in me"
Favorite Food: Extra Cheese Pizza
Musical instruments: Drums
Favorite Music Groups: Boyz to Men, Nirvana, Journey, Wu Tang Clan
Favorite Colors: Green
Sports: Water Sports, Football, Horseback Riding, Basketball, and Baseball
Interesting Hobbies: Nintendo and drawing
Dream girl Characteristics: "Everyone wants a girl with a perfect personality. It doesn't matter how they look." "It doesn't really matter how a girl looks, because if you find someone who likes you for the way you are, that's perfect."
Nick has been scuba diving since he was 12
He collects 'Dark House' comics
Full Name: Brian Thomas Littrell
Date of Birth: February 20, 1975 which makes him a Pisces
Place of Birth: Lexington KY
Nicknames: "B-Rok", "Seaver", "Mr. Joker", "Frick"
Height: 5' 8"
Weight: Approximately 140 lbs
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown
Favorite Food: Pizza, Macaroni and Cheese
Musical instruments: Trumpet
Favorite Music Groups: Boyz to Men and Jodeci
Favorite Colors: Midnight Blue
Sports: All sports including Basketball, Golf, Swimming and Tennis
Interesting Hobbies: Weight Lifting
Dream Girl: Pamela Anderson Lee
Dream girl Characteristics: Girls who are in shape, intelligent, with goals of their own.
Brian and some of his friends formed a group called specialty. "we'd go around and sing top 40 songs a cappella and the girls loved it."
Full Name: Alexander James McLean
Date of Birth: January 9, 1978 which makes him a Capricorn
Place of Birth: West Palm Beach (Boyenton Beach)
Nicknames: "AJ", "Bone", "Mr. Cool"
Height: 5' 9"
Weight: Approximately 130 lbs
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Naturally black (Blonde once from Nick's chemistry experiment)
Favorite Food: "I always order a #6 quarter pounder with cheese, supersize ice tea, no lemon, no sugar, thank you"
Musical instruments: Saxophone and bass guitar
Favorite Colors: Yellow and sometimes purple
Sports: Billiards, Basketball, Volleyball
Interesting Hobbies: Puppeteer, Ventriloquist
Crush: Gwen Stefani
Dream girl Characteristics: Girls with attitude, great eyes, long fingernails, and shy when they aren't with their mate.
Dating Flaws: Tends to be overprotective and jealous
On stage "I scream, do stupid things, just to get laughs or attention to get the crowd into a giggly, laughling mood. I've had girls come up afterward and say 'you are crazy'"
Full Name: Howard Dwaine Dorough
Date of Birth: August 22,1973 which makes him a Leo
Place of Birth: Orlando Florida
Nicknames: "Howie D", "Sweet D", "Latin Lover"
Height: 5' 6"
Weight: Approximately 135 lbs
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
Ethnic Background: Irish, Puerto Rican
Favorite Food: Chinese "I love to cook and eat Indian food, even though my hamburger and fries are just awesome!"
Musical instruments: Guitar
Favorite Music Groups: John Secada, Al B. Sure, Phillip Bailey
Favorite Colors: Purple
Sports: Water Sports and Racketball
Dream girl Characteristics: "A girl who has a good head on her shoulders and knows what she wants in life"
Dream Date: "Going out for a candlelit dinner, then to the movies, out dancing, and finally out to walk on the beach at night."
Howie's first professional role was in a production of the 'Wizard of Oz'. "I was a munchkin with pants that were three sizes too big for me, I was holding up my pants the whole time"
Before he became a Backstreet Boy, Howie went by the stage name Tony Dinetti
Full Name: Kevin Scott Richardson
Date of Birth: October3,1972 which makes him a Libra
Place of Birth: Lexington KY
Nicknames: "Kev", "Kevvy Kev", "Train", "Mr. Body Beautiful", "Boo"
Height: 6' 1"
Weight: Approximately 175 lbs
Eyes: Green
Hair: Black
Favorite Food: "My Mom's cooking" Junk food is "Hot, hot buffalo wings that make you cry"
Musical instruments: Piano
Favorite Music Groups: The Eagles
Favorite Colors: Black and Blue
Sport: Football, Surfing, Rugby, Horseback Riding, Swimming
Interesting Hobbies: Dancing and Basketball
Dream girl Characteristics: "Honest, with a nice smile and style" he also mentions a sense of humor
Crush: Liv Tyler
Before becoming a Backstreet Boy, Kevin enlisted in the Air Force. "I wanted to become a fighter pilot because I was always fascinated by flying."
Kevin had a small part in the movie 'My Girl', it was in the carnival scene which filmed in central Florida. It was a BRIEF part though.
Coming Soon~
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