Backstreet Boys were, in many ways, a contradictory band. Comprised entirely of white, middle-class Americans, the group sang a hybrid of new jack balladry, hip-hop, R&B, and dance club pop that originally found its greatest success in Canada and Europe, with their 1996 debut album charting in the Top Ten in nearly every country on the continent; ironically, success in their native land did not follow until nearly two years later.

The core of Backstreet Boys is cousins Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell, who both hail from Lexington, KY. The two began singing while they were children, performing in local church choirs, as well as festivals, where they sang doo wop and new jack R&B in the style of Boyz II Men. Two of the other remaining mem ..[Full version]