| Backstreet
Boys |
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Forming
the Backstreet Boys Band
The Backstreet Boys started out as an idea from Orlando businessman
and entrepreneur, Lou
Pearlman who had an interest in the music business. After seeing the
huge success of New Kids, a group of five boys taken from the streets of
Boston to form a band, Pearlman knew he could achieve the same feat here in
Orlando. Advertisements for 'male teen singers that move well between
16-19' were soon appearing at local high schools, drama schools in the Sentinel
and the Florida Blue Sheet.
With hundreds of applications, auditions for the band were soon
underway. The Backstreet Boys, as we know them today, were not the first group that
was selected. Originally the first five were AJ McLean, Howie Dorough,
Nick Carter, Charles Edwards and Sam Licata. Artistic differences lead to
a breakup with Charles and Sam in 1993, leaving The Backstreet Boys 2 short. This
short-lived group's first job was performing at the Fashion Square
Mall.
In desperation to re-form the The Backstreet
Boys, auditions were immediately
restarted. Through mutual friends, Kentucky native, Kevin Richardson, who
was working for Disney at the time, was recruited into the band. Pearlman
tried to stay with his original plan of having a group of Orlando teens, but
after several unsuccessful weeks of scouring Orlando for a fifth member, Kevin
called Brian Littrell, his cousin in Kentucky, to come to Orlando for an
audition. He was immediately taken into the group, that contrived it's
name from the Backstreet Market, a teen hangout off of International
Drive.
The current members of the Backstreet Boys had their first big concert at SeaWorld Grad Night, just 2 weeks after Brian joined the group. For exposure
the group continued working at local malls, Pleasure Island, area nightclubs and
restaurants. Within
6 months of forming, they were considered to be one of Florida's hottest
acts.
The 1995, release of their single "We've Got It going On" was an
instant hit in England and throughout Europe. By the end of 1996, the
group had won multiple awards in Europe and Canada, achieved fame throughout
Asia and Australia and sold nearly 10 million CDs worldwide. They
returned to Orlando to work on new tracks for their U.S. album, BACKSTREET BOYS,
which took the US by storm, and brought along a string of live TV
appearances. But this fame was nothing compared to what their Millennium
album brought, a record breaking 1,133,505 in sales, setting a record for
the most albums sold in one week, ever!
Next page > Meet "The Boys"
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