.:: Band-History ::.

It all started in spring 1992. Then the image of the New Kids On The Block, despite the recent triumphant tour Germany and the American homeland, got its first scratches. Take That released their first single in Germany - the post bomb - and were more than a year away from the breakthrough. Michael Jackson was in the Ivory Coast to "honor King" of the Agni-tribal crown and had the title of "King" finally writing.

In Orlando, Florida, this spring Howard "Howie D." Dorough and Alexander "A.J." McLean met each other in a talent competition and became familiar friends. Nickolas "Nick" Carter met with little later, because the three ran repeatedly in sample recordings for films, advertising or television recordings on the way. And the three decided soon, that their music is more important than a screen career: "We'll found a band!"

Kevin Richardson played the "modern adventurers" at this time. Dealing with his father's death, he left his home farm in Kentucky and moved to Florida, to search fame and success in show business. He was no longer the dishwasher, but as a casual photo model and tourist guide at the Disney World, he was still far from living the "American Dream" with ending up as a "millionaire to the end of life".

Johnny Wright was a member of the management of New Kids On The Block whose "Rise to Fame" and witnessed Ed. And he kept his eyes open for new talents. It was thanks to his agency on the good-looking and as a talented songwriter Kevin attention: "From what can be!". Just thought even Lou Pearlman, cousin of Art Garfunkel, one half of the legendary Simon & Garfunkel, as he's been nerved by Howie, AJ and Nick repeatedly burst into his hut and live singing rehearsals with demo-tapes.

Louis and Johnny united and turned the trio and a soloist into a quartet. They decided to accept a fifth member for grassroots. Kevin suggested his cousin Brian Littrell, who was a member of the local church in Lexington, Kentucky, and already became a small legend over there. Brian has been literally got out of the auditorium of his college bound. On 20.04.1993, when compared to the first time all five stood, was the birth of the Backstreet Boys, who were named by the "Backstreet Market", which is a popular meeting place for young people in Orlando.

The Backstreet Boys disappeared until 1995 in the studio and finally released "We've Got It Going On". The song hit like a bomb throughout Europe. "In Europe there is the phenomenon of boygroups, the market was already there," Brian says, "and because we come from America, we brought a fresh sound across the Atlantic. That was our advantage, and unlike many of the other boygroups we are not just a bunch of pretty faces. We really can sing."

"We've Got It Going On" conquered the charts in record time and the success laid the groundwork for what should be yet to come. Also the Backstreet Boys won a London Smash Hits Award for best new touract and joined on with their now gold single "We've Got It Going On" at Top Of The Pops.

Their next single "I'll Never Break Your Heart" brought gold in Germany and occupied first place in the Austrian charts. It also conqered the video and radio rotations in Montreal, already in February. BSB played in sold-out halls before hordes of screaming fans and were soon celebrated all over Europe and Canada.

After the Backstreet Boys achieved all this with just two singles, you can easily imagine the reactions to their simply titled debut album "Backstreet Boys" in April 1996. In the same summer BSB went on a sold-out european tour with 57 gigs. In autumn, the BSB fever already spread on Asia, the entire Pacific and Australia. In the same year a further BSB Europe Tour and the coveted MTV Europe Viewers' Choice Award 1996 followed. Then they turned on to Canada, where they already got six times platinum for their CD, which collected the top positions in the charts.

A tour of 32 concerts was sold out in almost 20 minutes and the Avalanche moved inexorably to the United States. In October 1996, a dream came true: "Quit Playing Games" was their first number 1 single in Germany and reached platinum status! "That was maybe a crazy a year," Kevin laughs.

These current events served as foretaste on another chapter in their history: the return to the United States. Back home in Florida, BSB spent the beginning of the year 1997 in the studio, where they worked on new dynamic songs, improved their vocal arts, got more actively involved in the creation of their songs and could hardly wait to present their irresistible sound to the audience at home. "That has always been our greatest wish," says Nick. "But we wanted to be sure we really are ready."

In Feburary 1997, the Backstreet Boys got the Golden Camera award being chosen by a german television audience for best international group. After another sold-out tour in March, they released in August 1997 their second album "Backstreet's Back", which entered the german charts directly from 0 to 1. The preliminary single release "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" reached, only stopped by Puff Daddy's "Missing You", place 2 in the single charts.

In August 1997 they played the biggest and most successful tour so far. For a total of 13 sold-out open-air concerts they played before about 350,000 spectators and made it even more viewers than Michael Jackson to attract.

For that reason they were the absolute number 1 headliner of 1997 in Germany. With "As Long As You Love Me" and "All I Have to Give" their album "Backstreet's Back" brought in two more highly successful singles in 1998, which were both in the Top 3 of the German single charts. Even in the United States the long-awaited breakthrough for the Backstreet Boys adjusted. In their homeland they released a mix of their first two albums and managed to jump into the Top 5 of the U.S. Billboard charts. It stayed in the Top 10 for 65 weeks!

After two sold-out tours in the U.S. and Canada, winning various prizes, such as the Billboard Awards and the MTV Award, the most appearances in TV shows in the country as well as their first Grammy nomination (in the category "Best New Artist"), the five guys got back into the studio to record their third album: "Millennium" (1999).

In 2000, with their album "Black and Blue", the Backstreet Boys for the first time showed their serious side. The "boys" became men, and you could hear it. Not only because their audience became older. After the "Black and Blue" they withdraw from the public.

They were on tour for too long, like they also had no private life any more. In 2001 the album "Greatest Hits - Chapter One" was published (6 million once sold). A Greatest Hits album always causes a speculation and is rarely a reason not to "farewell" from the public stage and star life, but the band bent speculation immediately before and announced that they would not disconnect, the album was only a conclusion of the first chapter of their career. They wanted only a small break.

From 2004 the Backstreet Boys worked on another group album: "Never Gone" which was released on June 13th, 2005. The first single, "Incomplete" came out on May, 30th and the second single, "Just Want You To Know", on September 12th. 2005.
On October, 11th, 2005, Jive Records released "Crawling Back to You" as a download single for "Music for Hurricane Relief" to assist hurricane victims in the states.

On November 25th, 2005, the third Euro-single "I Still" was released. From October 5th to November 05th, 2005, the BSB toured throughout Germany. Due to the large demand additional shows were offered, which took place in the arena Nurnberg as well as in the Cologne Arena.

After this single, it was very successful - including Germany, there were separation rumors again caused by the release of the first solo album, "Welcome Home", by Brian Littrell, 2006, have been fueled further.

On June, 23rd 2006 Kevin Richardson left the group after 13 years with the words:

"After thirteen years, which might be described as a dream come true, I have decided that it is time to leave the Backstreet Boys.

It was a very hard decision for me, but it is necessary to the next chapter in my life to deny. Howard, Brian, Alex and Nick will always be my little brothers. You have all my love and support.

I would like to thank the Backstreet fans are grateful for all the wonderful memories we have shared together and I am glad you into the next phase of my life with your reply. I wish my brothers continued success and look forward to the new album."

- Kevin

After one year of break, the four remaining Backstreet Boys released on October 5th, 2007, their first single "Inconsolable" as quartet. This was the first single from their sixth studio album "Unbreakable", which followed on October 26th, 2007. The second and last single release of "Unbreakable" was "Helpless When She Smiles" and appeared on January 11th, 2008.

On February 16th, 2008 the "Unbreakable" world tour startedin Tokyo and led among other countries to Russia, where BSB for the first time in their career were allowed to occur. In April and May seven of the concerts took place in Germany. The "Unbreakable" tour ended in November, 23rd, 2008. Immediately after that, the boys want to go back into the studio to record their new album, which they intend to release in 2009.



as of 2009
© German BSB Supportteam