Back street boys

Backstreet Boys are a Grammy-nominated American boy band. They were the first group launched by boy band mogul Lou Pearlman, and have been together since April 20, 1993.They have had 13 Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and have sold over 100 million albums making them the best selling boy band of all time.

After returning to the music scene in 2005, their sound changed dramatically, incorporating only live instruments (some of which they play themselves) and a more guitar and piano driven pop rock sound. The four-member group consists of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell and A. J. McLean. Original member Kevin Richardson left the group on June 23, 2006 to begin a family, but the four-piece refused to rule out a possible return for the singer.

The band's first UK success came in June 1996, when 'Get Down (You're The One For Me)' reached number 14. Reissues of their earlier singles broke them into the UK Top 10 for the first time, with 'We've Got It Goin' On' reaching number 3 in August, and 'I'll Never Break Your Heart' climbing to number 8 in November (the previous year they had stalled at number 54 and 42 respectively). Their self-titled debut album repeated this success, although it was only made available in Europe, as was the 1997 follow-up, Backstreet's Back. The latter featured a cover version of P.M. Dawn's 'Set Adrift On Memory Bliss', but was otherwise another suite of teenage-orientated love songs and ballads. 'Everybody (Backstreet's Back)' became another huge hit, and was instrumental in breaking the group in the US when it reached number 4 in June 1998.

Further huge hits followed with 'Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)' and 'As Long As You Love Me'. Their self-titled US debut, compiling tracks from the European albums, went on to become the third bestselling record of 1998 in that country. They topped the UK singles chart in May 1999 with a new single, 'I Want It That Way', which also proved an enduringly popular US Top 10 radio hit. Millennium was a predictable success, topping the US album charts at the start of June 1999 and selling two million copies in just over three weeks. Despite increasing commercial pressure from new boy band 'N Sync, the Backstreet Boys' popularity showed no sign of waning over the following year, with a string of hit singles followed by the bestselling Black & Blue, which topped the US charts in November 2000. They were forced to cancel several concerts dates the following summer when McLean checked into an alcohol rehabilitation centre. Nick Carter was the first member to embark on a solo career, releasing Now Or Never in October 2002.