Inconsolable Without The Backstreet Boys

It was 1992, when two young men get to know each other. They ran into each other a lot of times on many talent contests. These man were AJ McLean and Howie Dorough. After a time, they saw another person, that often, who begans to chat with them. This young man was Nick Carter. They started to became friends and sang on the contests they were, to don't get bored, while waiting. More time passed by as they decided to start a band together, according to the search of Lou Pearlman, who wanted to start a band like 'New kids on the block'. He was enthusiastic, when he heard them. But still there weren't enough voices. Johnny Wright, who was supposed to be their manager, met Kevin Richardson, who was a guide in Disneyland, beginning to start a model career and another audition was placed. His voice fit wonderfully to the other three. Lou and Johnny liked this combination of the four voices, but still was there missing something. It was like they discovered a diamond, who needed to be improved. So Kevin called his cousin, Brian Littrell, who was singing in a choir. So he flew over from Kentucky to Orlando for an audition. As Johnny and Lou heard all five voices together, they were that enthusiatic about them. So the five boys signed their contract in 1993.

Their name was taken from the Orlando's Backstreet flea market and they added 'boys' because many bands did the same. So the Backstreet Boys were born. Different, than with a lot of the other european bands, the boys got an established vocal and dance training. Later they learn how to behave in interviews. Almost every day they rehearsed theirfive voices harmony. They got some little performances, which Johnny provided. They performed as a supoorting act for more famous acts and made theirself a name as an acapella band. The first Interviews were following and little articles were published. These helped for their touring. First they just performed at the weekends, later they toured cross-country the US, even without a record deal or a done product.

'The record labels, didn't understood the idea, with which we bulit up the boys', Johnny said once. He wanted, that the boys get used to the showbusiness step by step. Too many before them reached the top fast and fell down immediately, 'cause they couldn't stand the success. It was different with the BSB. They were happy about their little achievments and worked hard on it. Their goal was to become even more perfect. They discussed, every little mistake in the choreography or in theor harmonies, after such a kind of failed perfomance, for hours. Lou titeled it as their most important chapter. Because they saw, that the boys understood, about what it goes. Singing and to have fun, wasn't all they want to achieve. They wanted to become the best band of the world.

It wasn't missing that much 'til their breakthrough. After Nick got his change of voice and the boys worked harder at themselves, than ever before, traveled they around, like gypsies, they prove themselves in little rotten clubs, cheap village fetes and third classy galas. They knew the life on the street and were weld together like musketry. Their Motto: 'One for all, all for one.' The right time has come and the boys went into the studio to record demotapes. With the demand to write songs for the nwecomers, the demotapes were send to different producers. At the same time Johnny and lou were trying to get a record deal for them, but they didn't send any demotapes to them. No they let the boys appear there an let them sing acapella. The appointment with Jive Records in New York almost failed, because they missed their plane. So they called and sang a song on the phone. What a good thing. They got another chance and after the first meeting a sensational offer: a record deal for seven records.

Now the record label engage different prodcuers, but before they step on european ground for the first time, they perform on a anti-drug-gala under the patronage of Whitney Houston in New York. Whitney was as impressed of the BSB performance as the million watching it on TV. The Boys sang 'Just to be close to you' a cappella and take the hearts by assault. At this time, the 15 year old boy wonder Nick already was the most liked by fans and critics. The BSB flew over to Stockholm to record their first single and paint the town red on nightlife with their producers Max Martin and Deniz PoP. Unforgettable stays the night in Stockholms famous Club 'Café Opera'. The Boys get to know the prettiest girls of the town, because of the fame of their producers, and turn the night into day.

Back in the USA they rehearsed a few songs, for example 'Just to be close to you', 'Anywhere for you' and of course 'We've got it goin' on' and went bak on tour. Systematically they went around the east coast. Radiostations, clubs, car dealers, simply everything. A really hard tour, with up to 3 performances per day. In November their first flying visit in germany followed. Although there were just four of them up on stage it was a huge success. Kevin was in a hospital in Hamburg, 'cause on the flight to Germany he got problems with his appendix. The boys just called him after every show and told her excitement. In december the Christmas-Tour, with Just Friends and Caught in the act as headliners, followed. Because of some teenmagazines, the first BSB fans were in the audience cheering for them. The five saw selfpainted signs with their name on it, the first time up in the air.

After this it went very fast. 'We've got it goin' on' became their first top-five hit and almost hit platinum status with over 400.000 sellings. In april the BSB went on a big germany tour with DJ Bobo. Their second single 'I'll never break your heart' pushed 'We've got it goin' on' aside the top of the charts. It was the second hit in only seven months. Some people were scared of the fast success of the boys. On the 14.May 1996 was it clear: The Backstreet Boys were the new gods of the pop olymp. Two weeks before the release of their record 'Backstreet Boys', the shops got 300.000 reservations for it. So it went straight to the top of the charts and they wrote german music history. Not even Take That got something like that.