Photo Shoot Pictures Backstreet Boys
Members: Nick, AJ, Brian, Kevin and Howie
(Picture Index Below)
The Birth Of Backstreet
Back in 1995, Nick, AJ, and Howie, kept seeing eachother at auditions and contests. They became friends and decided to make a group. The three of them decided to expand the group by two members. Through a mutual friend they met Kevin. After looking all over Orlando for a fifth member, Kevin remembered his cousin Brian who lived in Kentucky. He called Brian, he relocated and the Backstreet Boys were born.
The name Backstreet Boys came from an outdoor market in Orlando called the Backstreet Market.
In 1995 they released their first single "We've Got It Goin' On". The song hit big in England and took off all over Europe. Europed had a lot of "boy bands" so they had a ready-made market. Since they were American boys they were a new sound for over seas. They had more edge then most "boy bands" over there they were more then just a bunch of pretty guys. They could sing.
In a short while "I'll Never Break Your Heart" began to climb the charts. It's success paved the road for the thrill ride that was to come.
In 1996, it kicked off with The Backstreet Boys being voted number one international group in Germany. The single "I'll Never Break Your Heart" went gold in Germany and hit number one in Austria. By February, the up-tempo jam had entered into wideo and radio rotation in Montreal, where it went triple platinum. The Backstreet Boys became a sensation throughout Europe and Canada.
If they could make such a commotion with just two singles, there was no telling what would happen with the release of their first album. The self-titled album debuted on the Jive Records label in April 1996 and was distributed in Europe and Canada.
The Boys sold out a 57 dated tour in Europe. By the Fall the Backstreet Feaver swept Australia, Asia, and the Pacific Rim.
In Canada their cd had gone platinum six times over and stands at number one on the charts. Their 32 date tour in Canada sold out in 20 minutes.
Back in the USA Rolling Stone said that their return to U.S. soil came in the form of the American cd release of their album in 1997.
The album debuted at number 19 on the album charts on the hit of the single, "Quit Playin' Games (With My Heart)". All in all the BSB has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide.
The guys spent the early part of 1997 in the studio, crafting new songs (which would be on "Millennium") and sharpening up their vocals with an eye to bringing their sound to a home audience. They had to bring it back strong.
And bring it back strong they did. They played a 42-city summer tour in 1998.
They did TV preformances on "Sabrina The Teenage Witch", and guest shots on the "Ricki Lake" and "Rosie O'Donnell" talk shows.
In March, the BSB and other musicians rasied more than $245,000 for tornado relief efforts in Florida. Their concert was held for 9,000 fans in the lot of the Hard Rock Cafe at Universal Studios in Orlando.
In November of 1998, the group faced it's first major crisis when doctors discovered that a congenital hole in Brian's herat had enlarged to dangerous porportions. Brian postponed open-heart surgery until May 1998 to meet touring obligations.
Needless to say the operation was completely successful. After spending eight weeks convalescing, Brian returned to the group in July. Paramedics still stand by during concerts in case he needs oxygen.
The year 1998 also brought the Backstreet Boys embroiled in lawsuits with Orlando entrepreneur Louis Pearlman, who helped create them. The dispute centered on how to share the estimated $200 million in revenue that the Boys generated. By May 1998 the Boys and Pearlman had reached a settlement.
"Millennium" arrived about seven months early for the BSB. At least the only millennium that really matters. On May 18th 1999, their new album had the best week sales in the history of the recording industry, topping the mark set by country music titan Garth Brooks. The second album from the BSB sold 1.13 million copies during its first week in stores. (The record has sence been broken by Nsyncs second release "No Strings Attached" which sold 2.4 million copies the first week)
Powered by the single "I Want It That Way", "Millennium" flew off the record tracks and is the sound of the summer of 1999.
Their next album (yet untitled) is to be released this Fall on October 10th.
Picture Index
A combination of all the Animated Pictures