The Backstreet Boys were formed by a trio of friends, Howie Dorough, A.J. McLean, and Nick Carter, in Orlando, Florida.  They met Kevin Richardson, who brought in Brian Littrell.  While these young met were beginning to form a group, Lou Pearlman was preparing to audition talent to put together a boy band.

The Backstreet Boys

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The Early Years

The Backstreet Boys were formed by a trio of friends, Howie Dorough, A.J. McLean, and Nick Carter, in Orlando, Florida.  They met Kevin Richardson, who brought in Brian Littrell.  While these young met were beginning to form a group, Lou Pearlman was preparing to audition talent to put together a boy band.  In 1993, the five friends were chosen, and Pearlman named them the Backstreet Boys.  They made their debut performance at Seaworld Orlando in 1993.

Pearlman gathered professionals to help promote the group, booking them at elementary school assemblies, shopping malls, and anywhere else they could be in the public eye.  They were eventually offered a recording contract with Jive Records in 1994.  

Rise to the Top

Their first release, We've Got It Goin' On, was only a minor success in the United States, but enjoyed enormous popularity in Europe.  For this reason, they embarked on a European tour first to promote the album.  The band released their first studio album, Backstreet Boys, in 1996.  The album was not released in the United States until 1997; it sold over 14 million albums and peaked at #4 on the Billboard charts.

From 1997 to 2007, the Backstreet Boys released five more albums.  While they were all enormously successful, it was their 1999 release, Millenium, that drew the most attention.  The album certified platinum thirteen times, selling over 40 million copies worldwide.  It charted at #1 in the United States, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Canada.  It was #2 in the United Kingdom and Canada, and #6 in Japan.  The album spawned four singles, including the hit, I Want it That Way.

Here and Now

The band took a three-year hiatus starting in 2002, while Nick Carter pursued his solo career, and AJ McLean worked to overcome his struggles with addiction.  They reunited in 2005 to release their album, Incomplete, after which Kevin Richardson left the band.  After the release of their 2007 album, Unbreakable,  the Backstreet Boys embarked on a world tour, including North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

The band is still together and working hard. They released their most recent album, This is Us, in 2009, and they are still working through their world tour to promote the album.  It debuted at #9 on the Billboard Top 200.  The album was released on CD and digitally through iTunes, so it is available for mp3 download.   A compilation CD, entitled Playlist: The Very Best of the Backstreet Boys is due to be released in early 2010.

Did you know . . .

1. The album, Millennium, holds the world record for the most shipments, at 11 million.

2. The video for Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely includes clips from Brian Littrell's 1998 heart surgery.

3. Lou Pearlman chose the name “Backstreet Boys” from the Backstreet Market, which was a teen hangout in Orlando, Florida.

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