Up close with Kevin
	Full Name	Kevin Scott Richardson
	Born	October 3, 1972Lexington, KY
	Astrological Sign	Libra
	Pets	A black cat named "Quincy"
	Pastimes	Playing keyboards, water skiing, swimming, surfing, basketball and hockey.
	Favorite Color	Blue
	Favorite Food	Mexican and anything Asian
	Favorite Movie	Top Gun & The Shawshank Redemption
	Favorite TV Show	Roseanne and Martin
	Favorite Stars	Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman
	Favorite Musicians	R. Kelly, Prince, Babyface, and Teddy Riley.
	Favorite Foreign Country	Sweden
	His Ideal Lady	Kevin is attracted to girls who accept him as he is, "I'm shy guy, sometimes I think too much about what I'm going to say to somebody or what they are going to think.""
	"Side Note"	Kevin is a qualified ballroom dance instructor, and he spent eight years of his life living in a log cabin.
	He's Most Likely to...	Urge you to chase your dreams! Kevin believes that if you can dream it, you can do it.
	Worst habit	Sleeping late.

Kevin Richardson spent his first nine years on a 10-acre farm and the next eight in a modern-day log cabin. "I had a great childhood," says Backstreet Boys' oldest member. "I loved school, played Little League football, rode horses and dirtbikes, and sang into a hairbrush in front of my bedroom mirror." The boy was happy--and he could sing. After receiving his first set of keyboards as a high school freshman, Kevin spent his adolescence in chorus and drama club. He also entered talent shows and played his keyboards in restaurants and at weddings.

These days, prior to touring, Kevin shared an apartment with Howie D. and his cousin Brian. His free time is spent weightlifting, dancing, shooting hoops, playing football, and writing music at his keyboards. Ask him to describe life in the studio and he'll say, "Sing. Eat. Sing. Sing. Eat. Sing. SLEEP!" And on the road? "A lot of fun, a lot of work, and sometimes a little lonely. It's what I've always dreamed of!"

 

Up close with Howie
	Full Name	Howard Dwaine Dorough
	Born	August 22, 1973 Orlando, FL
	Astrological Sign	Leo
	Nickname	Howie D, Latin Lover, Sweet-D
	Pets
	Pastimesi	Weight lifting, water skiing, dancing, racquetball, and seeing movies.
	Family	Howie is the last of 5. His siblings are: John, Pollyana, Caroline and Angie.
	Favorite Color	Purple
	Favorite Food	Asian
	Favorite Movie	Outsiders
	Favorite Groups	Jon Secada and Bobby Brown
	Favorite Stars	Tom Hanks
	Favorite School Subject	Math
	His Ideal Lady	He likes supportive, up-beat ambitious girls. "I like someone who is always looking at things in a positive way, someone who knows what she wants in life and how to go about getting it."
	Jobs	Howie had roles in Cop and a Half and Parenthood, a commercial for Disney World and lots of community theater.
	"Side Note"	Howie is half Puerto-Rican and half Irish and speaks Spanish fluently.
	He's Most Likely to...	...invite you for a moonlight walk along the beach. Howie is a hopeless romantic at heart.

Howie D. gave himself away at age three when he jumped onto his grandmother's bed and belted out his very first rendition of the old standard, "Baby Face." Today, it's really easy to pick Howie D. out of this crowd--he's the one with the high-flying falsettos. Half-Irish, half-Puerto Rican, Howie D. loves being in the group.

Born in Orlando, the last of five siblings, Howie D. has sung in choir, performed in community theater (Sound Of Music, Showboat, Camelot), commercials (Disney World), a Nickelodeon pilot (Welcome Freshman), and the films Parenthood and Cop And A Half. A professionally trained dancer, Howie D. loves to take his hip-hop routines to the local clubs and also enjoys swimming, water sports and racquetball.

 

Up close with Brian
	Full Name	Brian Thomas Littrell
	Born	February 20, 1975
	Astrological Sign	Pisces
	Nickname	B-Rok (He got the name because of the way he rocks on the b-ball court)
	Pets	2 dogs, one "Tyke" and the other "Leigh"
	Pastimes	Weight lifting, basketball, water skiing, and listening to music.
	Home	When they aren't touring, he lives in an apartment near Universal Studios with Kevin and Howie.
	Favorite Color	Midnight Blue
	Favorite Food	Macaroni and cheese
	Favorite Movie	Star Wars
	Favorite Groups	Boyz II Men and Bobby Brown
	Favorite Stars	Tom Hanks & Sandra Bullock
	Favorite Cologne	Safari
	His Ideal Lady	Brian says he is attracted to a girl's eyes. "Eyes are very appealing to me. I also like somebody who is interested in a career for themselves and can treat me like a normal person."
	"Side Note"	Brian is afraid of heights
	He's Most Likely to...	...keep your secrets! Brian believes in trust between friends.

Backstreet Boys is Brian Littrell's first big showbiz gig. He spent his growing up years singing at his local church, and was frequently invited to perform at other regional churches, revivals and weddings. To balance out the picture, Brian immersed himself in popular music at school, and his fascination with artists such as Hammer and Boyz ll Men kept his ears firmly tuned to Top 40 and Urban radio stations. Brian enjoys his life and considers himself very lucky to be a member of the Backstreet Boys.

When it's time to take five from BSB, Brian sacks out on the king-size waterbed he bought for $50 ("It was practically brand new"). He also participates in all kinds of sports, his favorite being basketball. His cut of choice on the Backstreet Boys debut? "Don't Leave Me," "cause the track and the words are just slammin!"

 

Up close with AJ
	Full Name	Alexander James McLean
	Born	January 9, 1978 West Palm Beach, Florida
	Astrological Sign	Capricorn
	Nickname	Bone
	Pets	2 black and white Shih-tzu's named Panda and Bear
	Pastimes	Dancing, basketball, golf, bowling, writing poetry, shopping, shooting pool
	Musical Instrument	Bass Guitar
	Favorite Color	Yellow
	Favorite Movie	Pulp Fiction
	Favorite TV Show	Seinfeld
	Favorite Stars	Dustin Hoffman & Geena Davis
	Favorite Cologne	Joop! for Men
	Favorite Foreign City	Paris
	Favorite School Subject	English
	His Ideal Lady	"I like their eyes. Honestly. I know most guys would not agree with me, but the first thing that I look at is eyes. I have to look into her eyes because if I could look deep past those eyes it's like WOW ! And I like long hair. Short hair is just as nice, but I like long hair. I don't care if they are fat, skinny, tall, short."
	Jobs	Playing Dopey in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in grade school.
	"Side Note"	AJ is a puppeteer who worked on the Nickelodeon show "Welcome Freshmen"
	He's Most Likely to...	...dare you to buy that crazy dress. His sense of style is outrageous.
	Goals	To get a college degree.

"I'm a big ham and I gotta be out there and doing crazy stuff for no apparent reason, especially on stage...," admits A.J. But then, one might have guessed that there was something brewing when, as a youngster in his very first acting job, A.J. brought the house down as Dopey in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. In fact, by sixth grade, Alexander James McLean had appeared in 27 classics such as The Nutcracker, The King And I and Fiddler on the Roof. While attending junior high, A.J. won a part in Nickelodeon's High Honey, I'm Home and began an ongoing relationship with both Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel. A.J. sang, trained extensively in dance, and took acting classes.

When he's not working, A.J., who's a skilled puppeteer, spends time cartooning, writing poetry that inspires his songwriting, playing basketball, volleyball and shooting pool. His take on the tracks of the Backstreet Boys' debut album? "In my mind, they're gonna be hits!"

 

Up close with Nick
	Full Name	Nickolas Gene Carter
	Born	January 28, 1980 Jamestown, NY
	Astrological Sign	Aquarius
	Nickname	Prefers Nick, been called Nicky
	Pets	Terrier "Boo Boo" & cat "Pinky
	Pastimes	Boating, fishing, drawing, collecting football cards, playing video games.
	Musical Instrument	Drums
	Favorite Food	Pizza
	Favorite Movie	Aliens
	Favorite TV Show	Mad About You and Beavis and Butthead
	Favorite Star	Sigourney Weaver
	Favorite Musicians	Nirvana and Michael Jackson
	Favorite Cologne	Gravity
	Splurges on	Shopping for sneaks and gold jewelry
	His Ideal Lady	Attracted to girls with brown hair, but he says: "It really doesn't matter to me as long as they have a good personality and they are really, really nice."
	Jobs	He had the lead in his 4th grade production of Phantom of the Opera, has appeared in commercials for the Florida Lottery and The Money Store, he was the featured vocalist for the Tampa Bay Buccaneer's pregame show for two years.
	"Side Note"	Nick is a licensed scuba diver.
	He's Most Likely to...	...draw your picture, he's rarely seen without a pencil in his hands.

It's probably no accident that Nick Carter was born in the same Jamestown, New York hospital as the legendary actress/comedienne, Lucille Ball. A firecracker from day one, you could regularly find "Little Nicky" dressed in nothing but diapers, bustin' a move, on the dance floor of his father's Yankee Rebel lounge. By fourth grade, after his family moved to Florida, Nick landed the lead in Phantom of the Opera. He was also a featured vocalist at Tampa Bay Buccaneer pre-game shows for two years. At age 12 he put in a winning performance on the 1992 New Original Amateur Hour, and did commercials for both the Money Store and the Florida State Lottery. Nick was offered a gig with Disney, but decided to go with the Backstreet Boys after that first night of harmonizing.

During off hours, you can find Nick at home with his parents and four younger siblings. The drum set in his room gets a heavy workout and he spends lots of time jamming with two of his buds. Nick is a licensed scuba diver, enjoys the family motorboat and fishing, and loves poetry and football.