Ever since the group's now-repaired rift between their management, Kevin has acted as the group's leader, insisting that they couldn't just let up because they'd had some success -- they had to keep on improving. "My dad was probably the one who instilled that in me," he told a reporter. "He would say -- pardon my French -- 'If your gonna do it half ass, don't do it at all.'"

Kevin took that advice to heart, and as the Backstreet Boys countinued to grow as a group, his work ethic certainly would make his late father proud.

Up In The Clouds

Kevin was born on October 3, 1972, to Jerald and Ann Richardson, the family's third son after siblings Jerald Jr. and Tim. His early years were spent on a farm in Harrisburg, Kentucky, where he and his brothers spent their time hiking, riding dirt bikes and horses and working on the farm. It was here, lying in a field behind the family house and looking up at the sky, that Kevin discovered his first passion -- not music, but flying.

"I wanted to be up there in the clouds," he told a reporter. "I wanted to fly jet planes. I started thinking about joining the Air Force."

When he was nine, Kevin got a little bit closer to the clouds when the family moved to Kentucky's Appalachian Mountains, to a town called Beattyville. There, his father was put in charge of a summer camp. During the winter, the family had the 17-room log cabin to themselves, while during the warmer weather, Kevin found himself new friends every few weeks as a new batch of children attended the camp. He described it as living two seperate lives. During the school year, he and his brothers would take the school bus to school, where he had a variety of regular friends he would hang out with. During the summer, however, he wouldn't see those friends because he would be working at the camp with his father, who he was very close to.

"It was a church camp," he told Tiger beat. "I was fortunate to grow up there. I had tons of friends because every summer the camp was full of kids my age. I met people from all over the state and sometimes from all over the country as well. There was no reason to leave at all -- all these people to talk with, play with, to meet. There were a lot of cute girls. I'd get my heart broken every summer, because I would find a girlfriend and then she would to leave and I wouldn't see her again."

At about this time his father took the summer camp job, Kevin discovered his natural talent for singing and playing piano. "I taught myself to play by ear," Kevin related at a press conference. "My grandfather, my grandmother and all their brothers and sisters learned to play piano by ear. My whole family sings. I grew up singing. Me and my mom, who's Brian's father's sister, sang together in church."

Almost immediately, Kevin fell in love with music -- a passion soon passed along to his cousin. "I used to sing into a hairbrush in front of my bedroom mirror," he said. "Brian and I used to harmonize all the time."

Kevin's love for music led to a large number of influences. "I'm a fan of Prince, The Eagles, Van Halen, Aerosmith, Elton John, Billy Joel, Boyz II Men, New Edition -- I have a really wide variety of musical tastes. I just love music."

A Tragic Turn

Kevin's parents recognized the seriousness with which Kevin approached his love of music, and when he was a freshmen in high school, they gave him keyboards as a present. Thrilled, he practiced continually, achieving a level of competence that allowed him to perform a solo music act at local weddings and restaurants. Bitten by the stage bug, he also tried out for and was cast in local theatrical productions of Neil Simon's Barefoot In The Park and Bye, Bye Birdie. Passionate about all kinds of performing, he also took up dancing and he made all kinds of extra cash as a professional ballroom dance instructor.

As he made his way through high school, he began to question what he wanted to do with his life. He still wanted to join the Air Force, maybe even apply for the Air Force Academy after graduation. But he also loved music. He didn't want to give up performing.

In the end, of course, his love of music prevailed. Deciding that Kentucky would ultimately prove stifling to his blossoming abilities, Kevin moved to Orlando after high school to break into the entertainment field. When he wasn't at auditions, he paid the bills by working as a guide at Disney World. This, in turn, lead him to score the role of Aladdin in Disney World's stage show. While some might snicker at Kevin hanging out with Mickey Mouse and the gang, he found it to be a positive experience. "It helped me turn into more of a people person," he told the press. "You have to be outgoing to be a guide. Before that, I was a much more quiet person."

As Kevin's responsibilities at the theme park increased, his parents decided to come down to Florida to see how their youngest son was doing. The reunion was, "wonderful," but it was capped with the tragic news: Kevin's father had been diagnosed with colon cancer. "It had already spread through his whole body when I was told," Kevin has said. "I was devastated. I moved back home to Kentucky to be with him. He lived for 10 months after he was diagnosed."

His father died in 1991. "I was very angry," Kevin admitted. "I felt my father had been cheated of his golden years. He was only 49. But eventually I realized that my family is not unique. You have to go on."

He had gone on, but it always hasn't been easy without his father there to guide him. "I miss his advice," he said. "I talked to him about what I wanted to do with my life. I was going to join the Air Force when I left high school. That was the logical thing, my brain told me to do that, whereas my heart told me to pursue my music. It was my dad who told me to go with my heart."

Ready For Backstreet

Still mourning, Kevin went back to Florida after his father's funeral and resumed working at Disney World. As he gained confidence as a performer, he began to land solo singing gigs outside the theme park, and eventually he heard about the fledging group that was seeking members. There were two other members who didn't work out," he reflected to the press, "and I replaced one of them. Then was needed another member and I called Brian."

Brian was the last piece of the puzzle, and BSB were born. One important aspect of the group's success is that it has allowed Kevin to help deal with his pain by participating in charity drives and visiting sick children. And those activites have given him a unique perspective on the pop star's life.

"I don't want to be out on the road all my life," he told Tiger Beat. "I want to have a family someday. Family is very important to me. But I don't think I could manage a family and be the kind of father I need to be when traveling out on the road all the time."

After all, his father is still a major influence in his life -- especially when on tour with the group. The world is handed to pop stars on a silver platter, and many celebrities lose themselves in alcohol, drugs and arrogant women. But Kevin -- setting an example that the other Backstreet Boys follow -- doesn't let himself go down fame's dark road.

"I want to live my life in a way that would make my father proud," he explained. "As long as I do what makes me happy, without sacrificing my morals, he's be proud."