In the early 90s, A.J. Mclean, Howie Dorough, and Nick Carter were
working hard to pursue a career in the industry of entertainment. They
were very young at the time. A.J. and Howie were still in high school
and Nick was in junior high. The three each had a fair amount of
success as an actor or a singer or both. A.J. took lessons of all
kinds of dance, like jazz, ballet, etc., and he was a puppeteer on a
cable TV series. Howie started in theater since he was a kid, and had
small roles in the movies 'Parenthood' and 'Cop And A Half.' Nick was
featured vocalist for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers halftime show during
the 1991 and 1992 seasons. He won the 1992 New Original Amateur Hour
for his singing skills, and had a small role in the movie 'Edward
Scissorhands.'
Howie and A.J. first met at a talent competition. A.J.'s vocal coach,
who introduced the two, used to be Howie's vocal coach. They kept
bumping into each other at auditions. They both were always audtioning
for Nickelodeon projects because they were always hiring young
performers. Howie and A.J. would sing a cappella to pass time waiting
for their appointments. One time, Nick, who was auditioning for the
sma eproject, heard them, and joined in in the singing. That's how
the three of them met.
Nick, A.J., and Howie became apparent of how good they sounded
together. They made an unanimous decision of forming a group. They
auditioned for Louis Pearlman, a successful Florida businessman in the
music industry, who was looking for new talent at the time. Pearlman
suggested making the threesome into a fivesome.
Meanwhile, Kevin Richardson, a native of Lexington, Kentucky, moved
down to Orlando. He too wanted a career. He would play the character of
Aladdin at MGM studios for the vistors and tourists. But what he
really wanted was to become a singer/songwriter. He knew how to play
the keyboards well, and wanted to use this instrument with his career.
Luckily for Kevin, he heard about the would-be Backstreet Boys search
for two new members, and auditioned. He got the part, replacing one of
two other audtionees who weren't able to become a member. The four
would-be Backstreet Boys were there, but they needed one more person.
Kevin suggested his cousin, Brian Littrell, whom he called the next
day. Brian flew down to Orlando and moved in with Kevin. He met Howie,
Nick, and A.J. Everything worked out great, and they named themselves
after a flea market in Orlando- The Backstreet Market. They picked
that particular place because at that time that was the popular site
for teens to hang out.
So the Backstreet Boys were born, and now you
know the rest: 'We've Got It Goin' On' single is released, made in
good in the charts in the U.S, exploded in Canada and Europe, first
CD (European) is released, screaming girls everywhere, Canadian debut
album released, more and more screaming girls everywhere, U.S. debut
album finally released, more popularity in the U.S.A. Easy as that!