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99-511: After releasing two albums near the end of the boy band fad of the late 1990s and early 2000s, the group disbanded in 2003. The group was originally managed by Lou Pearlman during their first season of Making the Band , but later managed by Mike Cronin and Mike Morin for their debut album and remaining television seasons. O-Town was assembled for the first season of the ABC reality television series Making

198-459: A bankruptcy trustee recover. He also ordered individual investors to be paid before institutions in distributing any eventual assets. Pearlman and his companies were forced into involuntary bankruptcy in March 2007. Trustees and lenders intended to auction off Pearlman's assets and personal belongings, including a mansion full of well-known works of art and priceless memorabilia. They quickly discovered

297-417: A blimp to Jordache before actually owning one. He used the funds from Jordache to construct a blimp, which promptly crashed. The two parties sued each other, and seven years later Pearlman was awarded $ 2.5 million in damages . On the advice of a friend, Pearlman started a new company, Airship International, taking it public to raise the $ 3 million he needed to purchase a blimp, falsely claiming that he had

396-410: A blimp. This is disputed by Gross, who claims he was the school reporter, and allowed Pearlman to tag along. Garfunkel's fame and wealth helped inspire Pearlman's own interest in the music business. As a teenager he managed a band, but when success in music proved elusive, he turned his attention to aviation . During his first year as a student at Queens College , Pearlman wrote a business plan for

495-524: A brief speech on Lee and led the audience in a moment of silence for Lee and all the victims of the attacks. The Hits – Chapter One , their first compilation album, was released on October 23, 2001. It also included a previously unreleased song, " Drowning ". The album entered the top 5 in the U.S., UK, Germany, and Canada, and the top 10 in Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. In

594-566: A cameo in the 2013 movie This Is the End as a fictional version of themselves, performing their song " Everybody (Backstreet's Back) ," which earned them an award for "Best Musical Moment" at 2014 MTV Movie Awards . In December 2013, the Backstreet Boys performed their two original Christmas songs as marquee performers in the annual " Christmas in Washington " TV special which was also attended by

693-562: A class project based on the idea of a helicopter taxi service in New York City . By the late 1970s, he had launched the business based on his business plan, starting with one helicopter. He persuaded German businessman Theodor Wüllenkemper to train him on blimps and subsequently spent some time at Wüllenkemper's facilities in West Germany learning about the airships. Returning to the U.S., Pearlman formed Airship Enterprises Ltd, which leased

792-488: A few lesser-known songs. Their documentary movie, titled Backstreet Boys: Show 'Em What You're Made Of , was released in theaters and online on January 30, 2015, in the U.S., on February 26, 2015, in the UK and Europe, and on March 28 worldwide. The movie chronicles their entire career journey up to the making of their 2013 album In A World Like This . On April 10, 2015, band members Richardson and Littrell were inducted into

891-581: A fivesome since Richardson rejoined the group. During the show, they announced they would have their third cruise in October 2013. It was the first cruise to feature all five members. The first single featuring Richardson's vocals in six years, a Christmas song titled " It's Christmas Time Again ", was premiered on AOL Music on November 5, 2012, and officially released a day later. The song reached No. 1 on Billboard ' s Holiday Digital Songs chart. The Backstreet Boys celebrated their 20th anniversary, which

990-501: A friend, and expressed sadness at the news of his arrest, imprisonment, and death. Nick Carter , when asked if the claim was true, suggested that bitterness might be a motivating factor for the claim. In an interview conducted by the Orlando Sentinel , former NSYNC member Lance Bass , when asked about the claim, stated that Pearlman had never behaved inappropriately with them. In 2008, Pearlman began his prison sentence with

1089-473: A greatest hits album, The Hits – Chapter One (2001). After a two-year hiatus, they regrouped and released a comeback album, Never Gone (2005). After the conclusion of the Never Gone Tour in 2006, Richardson left the group to pursue other interests. The group then released two albums as a quartet: Unbreakable (2007) and This Is Us (2009). Richardson permanently rejoined the group in 2012. In

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1188-491: A high-profile charity gala in Fort Lauderdale, Florida . With a change in management in the fall, they began to tour schools across the U.S. (including Littrell's former school, Tates Creek High School ), building a fan base while trying to get a record deal. Mercury Records nearly signed them in 1993, but the deal fell through at the last minute because longtime Mercury recording artist John Mellencamp threatened to leave

1287-416: A lawsuit against Lou Pearlman and Trans Continental in 1998, claiming that Pearlman had not been truthful about the earnings made by the group. From 1993 to 1997, Pearlman and his company took about $ 10 million in revenue while the band only got $ 300,000. In the following year, McLean, Richardson, and Dorough joined the lawsuit which eventually resulted in a number of settlements. On Valentine's Day 1998,

1386-654: A letter from Pearlman sent from Bali. Pearlman was arrested in Indonesia on June 14, 2007, after being spotted by a tourist couple from Germany. He was living in a tourist hotel in Nusa Dua in Bali. Pearlman was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 27, 2007. Specifically, he was charged with conspiracy , money laundering , and filing false bankruptcy . After his conviction and five days before his sentencing in May 2008, Pearlman requested

1485-538: A more R&B sound. The album debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard 200, selling 42,000 copies in its first week of release. It peaked at No. 2 in Japan and was certified Platinum for shipments of 250,000 copies. Two singles were released from this album: " Straight Through My Heart " and " Bigger ". A few days after promoting the new album and filming the music video for "Bigger" in Japan, Littrell contracted swine flu , causing

1584-500: A more regular basis." The statement, along with his appearance at the cruise event, prompted speculations that he might rejoin the group for good, but both he and the group remained quiet on the matter. I think it was the right decision. I think for us to maximize the ability that we have as five to move forward, it wouldn't be with another group, it would just be on our own. --Brian Littrell The Backstreet Boys finally announced that Richardson had rejoined them permanently during

1683-515: A mutual vocal coach and later discovered Nick Carter through auditions. The three, realizing that they could harmonize together, decided to form a trio. Cousins Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell , both from Lexington, Kentucky , sang in local church choirs and festivals when they were children. Richardson moved to Orlando in 1990, where he worked at Walt Disney World and concentrated on music at night. In 1992, Lou Pearlman placed an ad in

1782-528: A new 2017 tour featuring Ryan Cabrera on select dates, as well as some spots on the I Love the 90s nationwide tour. Their Part 1 EP was released on August 4, 2017. In June 2019, O-Town planned on filing a trademark for their band name, which Universal Music Group believed was too similar to the Motown Records label. On August 2, 2019, they released The O.T.W.N. Album . Lou Pearlman Louis Jay Pearlman (June 19, 1954 – August 19, 2016)

1881-463: A partnership with Wüllenkemper. He leased the blimp to McDonald's for advertising. Pearlman then relocated Airship International to Orlando , Florida , in July 1991, where he signed MetLife and SeaWorld as clients for his blimps. Airship International suffered when one of its clients left and three of the aircraft crashed. The company's stock, which had once been pumped up to $ 6 a share, dropped to

1980-471: A photo mill scam. California Department of Industrial Relations Division of Labor Standards Enforcement , also called California Labor Commissioner's Office declared Options/TCT/WSN in violation of California law, and several state agencies were reported to be investigating the company. In Florida , around 2,000 complaints were filed with the then-Attorney General Charlie Crist and the BBB, and an investigation

2079-552: A price of three cents a share, and the company was shut down. After he took the company public in 1985, Pearlman became personally and professionally close to Jerome Rosen, a partner at small-cap trading firm Norbay Securities. Based in Bayside, Queens, and frequently in trouble with regulators, Norbay actively traded Airship stock. This sent Airship's stock price consistently higher, enabling Pearlman to sell hundreds of thousands of shares and warrants at ever-higher prices. However, Airship

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2178-557: A projected release date of March 24, 2029. However, he suffered a stroke in 2010 while incarcerated. He was diagnosed with an infection of a heart valve. Pearlman had surgery to replace a heart valve a few weeks before his death. The prison took him to a hospital where he was scheduled for another surgery. Pearlman died while still in custody at the Federal Correctional Institution in Miami, Florida, on August 19, 2016. He

2277-483: A reality show to find a new member and musicians who had expressed interest in replacing Richardson, such as Sam Licata and former NSYNC members Lance Bass and Joey Fatone , stating that they were not planning to replace him. Two days after Richardson's departure announcement, the Backstreet Boys entered the studio to record their sixth album. The album titled Unbreakable was released on October 30, 2007. It received positive reviews and opened at number seven on

2376-436: A scheduling conflict and discussed postponing the hearing by 90 days. On October 21, 2014, the group received a settlement of $ 99,000 in cash, 34 audio tape reels, 26 CDs, seven studio mastering audio tapes, six sealed posters, three audio cassettes, and one VHS tape. The recordings include some unreleased mixes, demos, and original materials. The seven master recordings they received included " I'll Never Break Your Heart " and

2475-446: A school lunchroom aide. He was a first cousin of the musician Art Garfunkel . Pearlman's home at Mitchell Gardens Apartments was located across from Flushing Airport , where he and childhood friend Alan Gross would watch blimps take off and land. According to his autobiography , Bands, Brands, & Billions , it was during this period that he used his position on his school newspaper to earn credentials and get his first ride in

2574-506: A show in London on April 29, 2012. A few days later, McLean and Littrell revealed on separate occasions that Richardson had returned since 2010, before NKOTBSB Tour started. He had been in talks to join the tour but ultimately decided not to. They supported his decision and kept his return a secret until the tour was over. The group spoke positively about Richardson's return, stating that they couldn't be happier to have him back. Richardson himself

2673-507: A solo album, Soundtrack to Your Life , in 2006. In 2007, he began playing the role of Link Larkin in the Broadway production of Hairspray . Trevor Penick signed to Mach 1 Music and performed as Tre Scott. Erik Michael Estrada stayed in the music business as a songwriter. Jacob Underwood went on to start his own country band, Jacob's Loc. In 2013, Angel declined to join the O-Town reunion: "It

2772-589: A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 22, 2013 (2 days after their 20th anniversary). They released a documentary film, titled Backstreet Boys: Show 'Em What You're Made Of in January 2015. In March 2017, the group began a concert residency in Las Vegas that lasted two years, titled Backstreet Boys: Larger Than Life . Howie Dorough and AJ McLean were natives of Orlando, Florida, who met each other through

2871-596: A summer tour and shifted their promotion to being mostly done in Europe. The group finished recording their first album Backstreet Boys in the spring of 1996. It was released internationally on May 6, 1996, excluding U.S. and Canada; however, it was later released in Canada in October 1996. Their popularity grew in Europe. " I'll Never Break Your Heart " reached a Gold status in Germany for selling 250,000 copies and they were voted

2970-518: A telephone and an Internet connection two days a week to continue to promote bands. Federal judge G. Kendall Sharp of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida rejected the request. On May 21, 2008 Sharp sentenced Pearlman to 25 years in prison on charges of conspiracy, money laundering, and making false statements during a bankruptcy proceeding. Pearlman could reduce his prison time by one month for every million dollars he helped

3069-469: A thousand of the company's job ads from their boards, they were further advertised on the Difrawi-founded "Industry Magazine" website. The Better Business Bureau 's opinion about Options/TCT/WSN was negative, citing a "pattern of complaints concerning misrepresentation in selling practices". The New York State Consumer Protection Board issued an alert, naming it the largest example they had found of

O-Town - Misplaced Pages Continue

3168-632: A trip to the Bahamas in May 2000 to write songs for their fourth album. They began recording the album on July 1, 2000, in Stockholm, Sweden, and wrapped up the recording sessions in September. A song completed during the July recording sessions, " It's True ", was released on August 28, 2000, in a compilation album sold exclusively at Burger King restaurants, titled For the Fans . The album, Black & Blue ,

3267-477: Is widely regarded as one of the greatest pop songs of all time, " Larger than Life ", " Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely ", and " The One ". Millennium became the best-selling album of 1999 in the U.S., selling 9,445,732 copies. It also holds the record for most shipments in one year, with 11 million shipments. Millennium remained on the Billboard chart for 93 weeks, eventually selling over 12 million copies in

3366-633: The Orlando Sentinel to create a vocal group with a " New Kids on the Block " look with a " Boyz II Men Sound". McLean, who was the first to audition for Pearlman in his living room, became the group's first member. Between late 1992 and March 1993, Pearlman held open casting calls and hundreds of young performers auditioned at his blimp hangar in Kissimmee, Florida . Ultimately, Carter, Dorough, and Richardson were selected after meeting Pearlman's expectations. Littrell flew from Kentucky to Orlando to formally join

3465-613: The Billboard 200, selling 81,000 copies in its first week of release. It performed well in Japan, debuting at No. 1 on the Japanese Oricon weekly album charts and staying there for another week. They released two singles from the album, " Inconsolable " and " Helpless When She Smiles ." The group went on a world tour to promote Unbreakable , starting in Tokyo, Japan, on February 16, 2008. The tour included shows in Australia, Japan, Mexico,

3564-756: The Church Street Station entertainment complex in Orlando, including a recording studio he called Trans Continental Studios, and a dance studio near Disney World named O-Town. In 2002, Pearlman and Wes Smith co-wrote Bands, Brands and Billions: My Top 10 Rules for Making Any Business Go Platinum. With the exceptions of US5 and Marshall Dyllon, all of the musical acts that worked with Pearlman sued him in federal court for misrepresentation and fraud . All cases against Pearlman either have been won by those who have brought lawsuits against him or have been settled out of court. The members of Backstreet Boys were

3663-733: The Backstreet Boys performed the American national anthem at the Super Bowl XXXV in Tampa, Florida . A week earlier, the group began the " Black & Blue Tour ", which featured shows in five continents. The tour was put on hold in July when it was reported that McLean had entered rehab to battle alcoholism and depression after Richardson held an intervention for him at a Boston hotel. The tour resumed in August and concluded in November. Shortly after returning to

3762-533: The Band ), LFO , Take 5 , Natural , Marshall Dyllon (co-created with country music artist Kenny Rogers ) and US5 , as well as the girl groups Solid HarmoniE and Innosense , co-managed with Lynn Harless (the mother of NSYNC band member Justin Timberlake ). Other artists on the Trans Continental label included Aaron Carter , Jordan Knight , Smilez & Southstar and C-Note . Pearlman also owned

3861-471: The Band ; the group was named after Orlando, Florida , the city where auditions were held. In the selection process, Lou Pearlman and a panel of judges selected Ashley Parker Angel , Erik Michael Estrada, Trevor Penick, Jacob Underwood, and Ikaika Kahoano. However, Kahoano left for personal reasons and was replaced by Dan Miller. After season one, former Arista Records executive Clive Davis signed O-Town to his new label J Records . Their first release,

3960-547: The Black and Blue Tour, the group faced a severe loss with the occurrence of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks . On the night of September 10, the band had completed a sold-out show in Boston, Massachusetts . The following morning, Littrell's wife Leighanne had planned on catching a flight back to Los Angeles aboard American Airlines Flight 11 , along with set carpenter Daniel Lee, who

4059-518: The Hot 100. In 2001, the group was the opening act for Britney Spears ' Dream Within a Dream Tour in the U.S. O-Town's second album O2 was released in November 2002 by J Records. It included a newer single, "We Fit Together". The album was observed to have a different sound from O-Town's debut album, with a mix of "soulful ballads and songs with more of a rock ‘n’ roll approach," according to Contemporary Musicians . MTV News reported that O-Town hoped that

O-Town - Misplaced Pages Continue

4158-668: The Kentucky Music Hall of Fame. In August 2015, band members Carter, Dorough, and McLean filmed a movie that Carter wrote entitled Dead 7 . The film centers around a ragtag band of gunslingers operating during a post-apocalyptic zombie plague. The movie premiered on April 1, 2016, on Syfy channel. A free copy of the theme song "In the End" was released on March 28, performed by band members Nick Carter , AJ McLean and Howie Dorough ; Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick from NSYNC ; Jeff Timmons from 98 Degrees ; and Erik-Michael Estrada from O-Town . The official physical DVD

4257-453: The Middle East. The tour was the 44th highest-grossing worldwide tour in 2014 with a total gross of $ 32.8 million and ticket sales of 607,407, not including its 2013 and 2015 dates. " In a World Like This ," the lead single from their eighth studio album, also titled In a World Like This , was released digitally on June 25, 2013, and to the radio on July 22, 2013. The album was released in

4356-458: The No. 1 international group there in 1996. They also earned their first platinum record in Germany in 1996 for selling 500,000 copies of their debut album. Shortly after that, they began touring Asia and Canada. They also became one of the most successful debut artists in the world, collecting awards such as Durchstarter (Best Newcomers) in Germany's Viva Comet Awards in 1996. " Anywhere for You "

4455-530: The President of the United States Barack Obama and his family. The Backstreet Boys members were due in court on March 24, 2014, over a claim they filed against their former manager Lou Pearlman . The group alleged that Pearlman still owed them $ 3,451,456.04, and they asked for $ 87,728.58 in legal fees for having to fight him in court for years. But earlier that month the group stated that they have

4554-460: The U.S. album chart and eventually sold 14 million copies. Meanwhile, the second international release, Backstreet's Back , peaked at No. 1 in Germany, Norway, Switzerland, Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Austria, selling well over five million copies in Europe alone. The most successful singles from Backstreet's Back and the U.S. debut album were " Everybody (Backstreet's Back) " and " As Long As You Love Me ". The two self-titled albums,

4653-404: The U.S. chart with first-week sales of 291,000 copies. However, the drastic style change drew negative criticism from Rolling Stone . Never Gone was certified platinum in the U.S. and four singles were released from the album. The second single, " Just Want You to Know ," hit the top 10 in the UK. The third singles were " Crawling Back to You " for the U.S. and " I Still... " for the rest of

4752-478: The U.S., The Hits: Chapter One was certified platinum for selling over one million copies. It was also certified platinum by IFPI for selling over one million copies in Europe. "Drowning" reached top 10 in many countries and as of 2002, the album had sold almost six million worldwide. In 2002, the group expressed a strong desire to leave their management company, The Firm. However, Carter chose to remain with The Firm to manage his solo career. Shortly afterward,

4851-634: The UK, Europe, Asia, Canada, and the United States. The show in London's The O2 Arena was filmed and is available to watch online on MSN's website. Richardson rejoined the rest of the group on stage at the Palladium in Hollywood, Los Angeles on November 23, 2008, for the last North American stop of the tour. On October 6, 2009, the group released their next album, This Is Us . On this album, their sound went back to their original dance-pop beats and contains

4950-469: The US on July 30, 2013, and in other countries sometime later. It is the group's first independent album, released under their own label, K-BAHN. It reached the top 5 in the US, Canada, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Taiwan, and Japan, and had sold 800,000 copies as of January 2015 . They released a second single from the album, " Show 'Em (What You're Made Of) " in November 2013. The group made

5049-505: The United States "any assets taken abroad which were derived from illegal transactions." Following a flight from officials, Pearlman had been seen in Orlando in late January 2007, and in early February in Germany, including an appearance on German television on February 1. Reportedly he was seen in Russia, Belarus, Israel, Spain, Panama, and Brazil. In early February, an attorney in Florida received

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5148-557: The United States and being certified 13 times platinum. As of January 2013 , the album stands as the fourth best selling album in the U.S. of the SoundScan era. On June 2, 1999, the Backstreet Boys embarked on the Into the Millennium Tour , which comprised 115 sold-out shows in 84 cities, with some additional dates put due to high demand. The second leg, which was sponsored by Sears ,

5247-457: The Wrights were then introduced to NSYNC , which was formed by Chris Kirkpatrick . Pearlman and the Wrights funded and managed NSYNC in a very similar fashion, selling over 70 million records globally. With these two major successes under his belt, Pearlman had become a music mogul. Other boy bands managed by Pearlman were O-Town (created during the ABC – MTV reality television series Making

5346-513: The album would show the group to be more than " 'NSYNC wannabes." However, with teen pop trending down in listener interest in 2002, O2 did not sell as well as the first O-Town album. As a result, in 2003, J Records released O-Town from their contract, and the group disbanded. The members of O-Town moved on to solo careers. The most successful member was Ashley Parker Angel, who was signed to Universal 's Blackground Records , also given his own reality show on MTV, There and Back . Angel released

5445-507: The art and memorabilia was mostly fake. What could be sold was auctioned through eBay and a traditional bankruptcy auction house. Church Street Station , a historic train station in downtown Orlando which Pearlman had purchased in 2002, was sold at a bankruptcy auction in April 2007 for $ 34 million. Several of Pearlman's belongings, including his college degrees, were purchased by The A.V. Club journalist and film critic Nathan Rabin during

5544-541: The beginning of that month while in the middle of a lawsuit. The worldwide hit single " I Want It That Way " which topped the single-charts in over 25 countries made anticipation for Millennium high. Millennium was released on May 18, 1999, on which day the Backstreet Boys made a heavily publicized appearance on MTV's Total Request Live . The album entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1 and sold 1,134,000 copies in its first week of release. Four singles were released from Millennium : " I Want It That Way ", which

5643-424: The best international sales in a week for an album in history by selling over 5 million copies in its first week. In the United States, it sold 1.6 million discs in the first week making them the first artist since The Beatles to achieve back-to-back million plus first week sales. Three singles were released from Black & Blue : " Shape of My Heart ", " The Call ", and " More than That ". On January 28, 2001,

5742-417: The eBay auction. In a 2009 interview with Howard Stern , Rich Cronin , the former lead singer of LFO , said that he had only received a fraction of the money owed to him from record sales. Cronin also claimed that Pearlman had "wanted to bang everyone" and had attempted to seduce him multiple times. (Cronin was of age. ) Fellow LFO band member Brad Fischetti , however, continued to refer to Pearlman as

5841-467: The fictitious accounting firm Cohen and Siegel to secure bank loans. In February 2007, Florida regulators announced that Pearlman's Trans Continental Savings Program was indeed a massive fraud, and the state took possession of the company. Most of the at least $ 95 million which had been collected from investors was gone. Orange County Circuit Judge Renee Roche ordered Pearlman and two of his associates, Robert Fischetti and Michael Crudelle, to bring back to

5940-425: The first time in public. The rest of the group surprised him by appearing in person to give him support, marking the first time the Backstreet Boys had appeared together in public in almost two years. The group began to reform and reconcile their differences, planning to start recording a comeback album at the beginning of the following year. The Backstreet Boys entered the studios in January 2004 to start recording

6039-491: The first to file a lawsuit against Pearlman, feeling that their contract—under which Pearlman collected as both manager and producer—was unfair, because Pearlman was also paid as a sixth member of the Backstreet Boys (i.e., one-sixth of the band's own income). The band's dissatisfaction began when member Brian Littrell hired a lawyer to determine why the group had received only $ 300,000 for all of their work while Pearlman and his record label had made millions. Fellow boy band NSYNC

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6138-606: The following year, they celebrated their 20th anniversary and released their first independent album, In a World Like This . Their follow-up album DNA (2019) debuted at number one, more than two decades after the group formed and 19 years after they last topped in 2000. They also became the first boy band to top the U.S. album charts in three different decades. In 2022, they released their first Christmas album, A Very Backstreet Christmas . They celebrated their 30th anniversary on April 20, 2023. The Backstreet Boys have sold over 130 million records worldwide, making them one of

6237-424: The following year, they released their second international album Backstreet's Back (1997), along with their self-titled U.S. debut album, Backstreet Boys (1997), which continued the group's success worldwide. They rose to superstardom with their third studio album Millennium (1999), anchored by the worldwide hit " I Want It That Way ", and its follow-up album, Black & Blue (2000). They also released

6336-576: The group debuted in Latin America at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival in Chile. Later that year, on October 7, 1998, the group received the keys to the city from the mayor of Orlando in honor of the tornado relief concert the group headlined in March that raised over $ 250,000. The day was also declared Backstreet Boys Day in Orlando. They also began recording their third studio album, Millennium , at

6435-519: The group embarked on the This Is Us Tour , which lasted over a year and consisted of 123 shows. The Backstreet Boys, including Richardson, filmed a segment for The Oprah Winfrey Show on October 22, 2010. Richardson also performed with the group in the show's studio later that day, making it the second time he had performed with the group since his departure. In May 2011, the group announced that they had left their longtime label JIVE Records. In

6534-500: The group on April 20, 1993, a day after receiving a phone call from Richardson about it. Thus, April 20 became their anniversary date. Pearlman decided to call them Backstreet Boys, after Orlando's Backstreet Market, an outdoor flea market near International Drive which was also a teen hangout. The Backstreet Boys performed their first show at SeaWorld Orlando on May 8, 1993. The group then continued to perform in various venues during summer 1993, from shopping malls, restaurants, to

6633-532: The group to cancel a signing at Hard Rock Café in New York for the NYC Pinktober event on October 5, 2009. The rest of the group were prescribed Tamiflu by a doctor, even though they weren't showing any symptom of the flu. The group subsequently canceled a scheduled CBS Early Show performance the next day on October 6, 2009, which was also the release day of their new album, This Is Us . In late October 2009,

6732-545: The intent of mimicking their boy band business model. The record label 's first band, the Backstreet Boys , consisted of five unknown performers selected by Pearlman in a $ 3 million talent search. Management duties were assigned to a former New Kids on the Block manager, Johnny Wright , and his wife Donna. The Backstreet Boys became the best-selling boy band of all time , with record sales of 130 million, hitting gold, platinum, and diamond in 45 countries. Pearlman and

6831-573: The international debut and the U.S. debut, sold more than 28 million copies worldwide. In November 1997, doctors discovered that a congenital hole in Littrell's heart had enlarged to dangerous proportions. Littrell postponed open-heart surgery to meet touring obligations. He underwent heart surgery on May 8, 1998, in the middle of the Backstreet's Back Tour . The group postponed the tour until July 1998 to give Littrell time to recover. Littrell brought in

6930-667: The label if they got into the boy band business. However, in February 1994, Jeff Fenster (then senior VP A&R Zomba/JIVE Records ) and David Renzer (then senior VP/ GM of Zomba Music Publishing ) saw the group performing at a high school in Cleveland and signed them to their first record deal. At the end of December 1994, the group flew to Sweden to record some songs with Max Martin and Denniz PoP , including " We've Got It Goin' On ," which ended up being their first single and completed their work in January 1995. "We've Got It Goin' On"

7029-426: The name, all incarnations were based on the business model used by Emodel founder Ayman "Alec" Difrawi, himself a convicted con artist , who played a principal role in running Options/TCT/WSN and setting up Fashion Rock. The companies received unfavorable press attention, ranging from questions about their business practices to outright declarations that they were scams . After Hotjobs and Monster.com pulled over

7128-432: The new album. They also started performing together to promote their return to the music scene. They started a small Asian tour in September, visiting Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Manila , performing some new material. Based on the success of this tour, they announced a Mexican tour, visiting Mexico City and Monterrey . The album's first single, " Incomplete ," was released to radio stations on March 28, 2005. Following

7227-504: The release of the single, they embarked on their Up Close & Personal Tour in March, which served as a pre-album release tour. "Incomplete" peaked at number 13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and charted within the top 10 in 13 countries. In addition, it debuted at number one in Australia, becoming their first number-one hit in the country. After recording for over a year, the Backstreet Boys finally released their comeback album Never Gone on June 14, 2005. The album debuted at No. 3 on

7326-510: The rest of the group began recording their next album without him. The relationship with JIVE Records worsened when the Backstreet Boys filed a $ 75–100 million lawsuit against Zomba Music Group (JIVE's parent company), claiming breach of contract. They claimed that the label promoted Carter's solo album Now or Never at the expense of the group. In November 2003, McLean appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to talk about his addiction to alcohol and drugs and his struggles in rising to fame for

7425-657: The same address as former TCT. In 2006, investigators discovered Pearlman had perpetrated what was then thought to be the longest-running Ponzi scheme in American history and had defrauded investors out of more than $ 1 billion, out of which $ 300 million is still missing. For more than 20 years, Pearlman had enticed individuals and banks to invest in Trans Continental Airlines Inc., TransCon Records, and both companies' parent, Trans Continental International Inc. All three companies existed only on paper—at least until Lou Pearlman's boy bands took off and TransCon Records

7524-536: The same month, they embarked on a joint tour with New Kids on the Block as NKOTBSB . Prior to the tour, they released a compilation album of their biggest hits, also titled NKOTBSB , which also includes a mash-up and two new songs. At the conclusion of 2011, the tour placed 17th on Billboard ' s annual "Top 25 Tours", earning over $ 40 million with 51 shows. The tour lasted until June 2012, comprising 80 shows in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. During

7623-524: The self-titled O-Town , boosted by the publicity of the weekly television series, debuted at no. 5 on the Billboard 200 album chart for sold more than three million copies worldwide. Their first single, " Liquid Dreams ", peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 . In the late spring of 2001, O-Town released " All or Nothing ", which became the biggest hit of their career as a group, reaching no. 3 on

7722-518: The show in Staples Center, LA, in July 2011, Richardson once again joined the group on stage. As he had announced before on On Air with Ryan Seacrest in October 2011, Richardson hosted a beach party, part of the group's second annual cruise, in the Bahamas on December 3, 2011, where he performed with them. On Seacrest's radio show, he also stated that he would love to "perform with the group again on

7821-512: The song "If You Stay" for the Booty Call soundtrack in the same year, which was released in February 1997. Backstreet's Back was released internationally (except in the U.S.) on August 11, 1997. Their self-titled U.S. debut album, Backstreet Boys (1997), which consisted of songs from their 1996 international debut album and Backstreet's Back , was released in the U.S. a day later on August 12, 1997. The U.S. self-titled debut peaked at No. 4 on

7920-489: The world's best-selling music artists . They are the first group since Led Zeppelin to have their first ten albums reach the top 10 on the Billboard 200 , and the only boy band to do so. The albums Backstreet Boys and Millennium were both certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), making them one of the few bands to have multiple diamond albums. The group received

8019-572: The world. Never Gone has sold approximately 3 million copies worldwide. The Backstreet Boys began the first leg of their Never Gone Tour on July 22, 2005, in West Palm Beach, Florida . After that, the first leg ran until November 2005 in Europe, and in January 2006, the second leg started in Tokyo, Japan . Finally, the tour concluded on February 2, 2006, in Melbourne, Australia . On June 23, 2006, it

8118-400: Was a difficult decision, that ultimately necessary to move on to the next chapter of my career." On May 28, 2014, O-Town released a preview of the single "Skydive" on SoundCloud. The single is from their third studio album Lines & Circles . The album was released on August 24, 2014. In 2017, they premiered a new single "Empty Space" in addition to announcing a new EP. They also announced

8217-414: Was an American music manager and scam artist. He was the person behind many successful 1990s boy bands , having formed and funded the Backstreet Boys . After their massive success, he then developed NSYNC . In 2006, he was accused of running one of the largest and longest-running Ponzi schemes in United States history, leaving more than $ 300 million in debts. After attempting to evade capture, Pearlman

8316-420: Was announced that Richardson had left the Backstreet Boys to pursue other interests. Both Richardson and the rest of the group issued a statement on their official site, stating that he departed amicably and the door was always open for him to return. Following Richardson's departure, the group was suggested to change their name to Backstreet, but they decided against it. They also turned down an offer to star in

8415-578: Was apprehended in Bali , Indonesia in June 2007. He pled guilty to conspiracy , money laundering , and making false statements during bankruptcy proceedings. In 2008, Pearlman was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison. He died in federal custody in 2016. Lou Pearlman was born and raised in Queens , New York , the only child of Jewish parents Hy Pearlman, who ran a dry cleaning business, and Reenie Pearlman,

8514-468: Was buried ten days later on August 29, 2016, in his family’s burial area. He was 62 years old. Pearlman was featured in the third season of American Greed in the episode called "Boy Band Mogul" in 2009. The documentary The Boy Band Con: The Lou Pearlman Story , produced by Lance Bass ; member of Pearlman's boy band NSYNC , premiered at SXSW on March 13, 2019. It was released on YouTube Premium in April 2019. On December 13, 2019, Pearlman

8613-516: Was dismissed and closed in 2006. One of the accused, a Canadian consumer-fraud expert Les Henderson , successfully pursued a libel lawsuit against Pearlman, Tolner, El-Difrawi and several others. Fashion Rock, LLC lived on until February 2, 2007, when its assets were sold in Pearlman's bankruptcy proceeding. Difrawi continued filing lawsuits that were all dismissed and was most recently running Expand, Inc. dba Softrock.org aka Employer Network, from

8712-678: Was having similar issues with Pearlman, and its members soon followed suit. At the age of 14, Aaron Carter filed a lawsuit in 2002 that accused Pearlman and Trans Continental of cheating him out of hundreds of thousands of dollars and of racketeering in a deliberate pattern of criminal activity. This suit was later settled out of court. In September 2002, Pearlman purchased Mark Tolner's internet-based talent company, Options Talent Group (formerly Emodel and Studio 58), which would subsequently go through several names, including Trans Continental Talent (TCT), Wilhelmina Talent Scouting, Web Style Network (WSN), Fashion Rock, and Talent Rock. Regardless of

8811-517: Was on April 20, 2013, with a fan celebration event in Hollywood that day. They received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame two days later, and had the day, April 22, 2013, declared as Backstreet Boys Day in Hollywood. In May 2013, the group embarked on their 20th-anniversary tour, officially titled as In a World Like This Tour . The tour lasted over two years, comprising over 170 shows in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and

8910-410: Was profiting from signed acts. After the success of NSYNC and Backstreet Boys, he turned the groups and their fame into the engine to further expand his Ponzi scheme. Pearlman used falsified Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation , AIG and Lloyd's of London documents to win investors' confidence in his program titled Employee Investment Savings Account, and he used fake financial statements created by

9009-545: Was released as the last single from their international debut album on February 17, 1997. " Quit Playing Games (with My Heart) ", originally released in Europe as their fourth single in October 1996, was released in the U.S. in May 1997 for their self-titled U.S. debut album , Backstreet Boys (1997). It peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 , eventually earning them a platinum award for selling over one million copies. The group began working on their second album, Backstreet's Back , in October 1996. They also recorded

9108-448: Was released on November 21, 2000. To promote its release, they traveled around the world in 100 hours, visiting Stockholm , Tokyo , Sydney , Cape Town , Rio de Janeiro , and New York City . Fifty-five hours were spent traveling, and 45 were spent making public appearances. A DVD of the short tour, as well as a board game, was released in 2001, titled Around the World . The album recorded

9207-502: Was reporting little revenue, cash flow or net income. In return for keeping his penny stock liquid, Pearlman allegedly paid Rosen handsome commissions, according to a mutual friend, that reached into 'the tens of thousands of dollars' per trade. Pearlman became fascinated with the success of the New Kids on the Block , who had made hundreds of millions of dollars in record, tour and merchandise sales. He started Trans Continental Records with

9306-580: Was returning home to Los Angeles to see his wife, who was due to give birth to their second child. That night, however, Leighanne canceled her flight after deciding to spend more time with her husband. Tragically, Lee was among 92 people killed when the hijacked plane crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The next day, during a concert on the next leg of their tour in Toronto, Littrell gave

9405-461: Was sent to radio in August 1995 and released as a physical single on September 5, 1995. In North America, Mix 96 in Montreal broke the group after the programmers heard it on the radio in Europe. The song was a minor success in the U.S., peaking at only No. 69 by December 1995, but it entered the top 5 in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, and the Netherlands. European success sent them there on

9504-432: Was sold out on August 14 on its sale date and broke sales records. The concert at Georgia Dome , Atlanta, was the 5th most attended concert in American history and the most attended concert by a pop artist. By October 1999, the Backstreet Boys faced new problems declaring their current JIVE contract null and void, soon striking one of the largest record deals ever valued at $ 60 million with JIVE. The group members made

9603-466: Was started by Assistant Attorney General Dowd. However, as the newly appointed Assistant AG MacGregor was unable to find "any substantial violations", no charges were filed. Further complicating matters was the fact that the company had since declared bankruptcy, "leaving no deep pockets from which to collect damages." By June 2004, Fashion Rock, LLC had filed a civil suit for defamation against some who had criticized Pearlman's talent businesses. The case

9702-635: Was the subject of an episode of ABC 's 20/20 titled "The Hitman: From Pop to Prison". On July 24, 2024, Pearlman's story was featured on Netflix 's documentary series Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam . Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB ) are an American vocal group and boy band consisting of Nick Carter , Howie Dorough , AJ McLean , and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson . The band formed in 1993 in Orlando, Florida . The group rose to fame with their international debut album, Backstreet Boys (1996). In

9801-519: Was thrilled to be back with his old bandmates, saying that they have a chemistry and a bond. The Backstreet Boys moved into a house together all by themselves in July 2012 as they started working on their new album with producer Martin Terefe in London. On August 31, 2012, they closed out Good Morning America ' s Summer Concert Series in Central Park , in New York. It was their first performance as

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