Howard Dorough, Howie D. for short, is known to others as
 sweet D. "Once, when we couldn't sign autographs because
 there were too many fans, he was too nice and stopped,
 and got trampled by them," says A.J. McLean, Howie's pal
 for ten years and his BSB cofounder. "He fell down like a
 turtle on his back, his feet kicking up."
	Good-natured Howie, 24, loves to give back to his
 fans. While the other boys vacationed during Brian's
 recovery this past spring, Howie made appearances in 
South America, where his Puerto Rican heritage ( on his
 mom's side ) and his Spanish speaking skills ( he's even 
appeared on Spanish soap operas ) have made him incredibly popular.
	Howie has been singing and acting since he was
 a kid, but his first real love was dancing. "I was in an all-boy
 ballet group one time," says the Orlando native ( and
 arguably the Boys' best dancer ). "It was cool as heck." 
	But then came a talent competition in Howie's senior
 year. "When I sang 'Unchained Melody,' I hit the high note
 and got a standing ovation," he says. "When I was done 
they didn't even want to [ see ] other people. They were ready
 to give me the award." 
	Now the falsetto in a wildly successful singing
 group, Howie couldn't be happier. Well, actually, he
 could~ if BSB's detrecters would stop criticizing them for
 not playing instruments. "You don't see Boyz 2 Men
 playing instruments," he says. "We're not like Hanson~ we're
not a rock 'n' roll band. We're an R&B harmony vocalist group."
	As one of the eldest Boys, Howie is focusing on 
the future: He's started a company, Sweet D Inc., which is
 currently developing condominiums on Florida's east coast.
 And he hired some of his family ( which consists of mom
Paula; dad Hoke; older brother John; and sisters Pollyanna,
 Caroline and Angie ) to run the operation. 
	Sweet D-eal.