Biographies

They deal in perfect harmonies and sweet songs about love, girls adore 'em, and--in spite of their baggy hip-hop gear and a stray earring here and there--they look nice enough to take home to Mom. This irresistible formula has resulted in one of the most successful new acts of 1997/ 1998: the Backstreet Boys.

Four (very) young men (ages 18-25) who grew up singing in church choirs, dabbling in acting and dancing, and listening to classic and current hip-hop, the Boys came together via serendipitous circumstances. Cousins Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrel, who had sang together for years in their hometown of Lexington, Kentucky, were all but ready to give up their plans of becoming part of a musical group. A disillusioned Richardson decided to move to Orlando, Florida and take a job as a Disney World tour guide instead. While working, he ran into three friends who worked independently as professional actors and singers, but liked to hang out and harmonize together for fun.

Richardson, impressed with the trio's talent, realized he might just have the blueprint for something big. He rushed to call his cousin back home in Lexington, urging him to come and meet the singers--A.J. McLean, Howie Dorough and Nick Carter. Littrel ditched class and flew out to Orlando the very next day. The Boys--originally named the Backstreet Market after an Orlando landmark--were thus born.

The group's self-titled debut, a fun and sugary disc full of urban pop sensibilities and adolescent yearnings, landed with a smash on the charts with its Billboard No. 1 single, "Quit Playin' Games (With My Heart)." The Boys have since appeared on numerous radio and TV shows, including The Tonight Show, and have earned the distinction of being the 10th most -requested search on the Internet search engine Lycos.

This Biography was written by Wendy Hermanson

Boys