July 21, 1998
· Filed under Backstreet Boys, Trouble
On Monday, the Backstreet Boys consented with a Delaware judge’s decision to put a legal hold on their case against manager, Louis Pearlman, concerning control over their corporate entity, Backstreet Boys, Inc.
According to Pearlman’s lawyer, both parties have come to an agreement in principle concerning who should be elected to chair the company, which governs everything from the group’s personal appearances, to merchandising and royalties.
The five-piece act originally filed suit in May over whether their manager, who has the right to cast each individual member’s votes, is able to elect himself to this position.
A second legal action brought about by the Backstreet Boys to have an annual meeting held regarding company business is said to be part of this possible settlement. Both sides are expected to agree to new terms within the next few months. Pearlman and the individual members of the group are the only stockholders of Backstreet Boys, Inc.
The case, which was scheduled to be tried last Thursday and Friday in Delaware Chancery Court, has been set aside until either a settlement is reached or upon further notice from council.
July 7, 1998
· Filed under Backstreet Boys, Music, Success, Tour
The Backstreet Boys will turn a very important page in their career this week when they kick off their first U.S. tour on Wednesday.
When the lights go down at the Charlotte Coliseum in North Carolina, the group will finally see the same sort of success that they have been seeing in Europe for years. “This is our first big American tour here where we’re doing arenas and fairgrounds,” Howie Dorough told MTV News of the tour.
The group has finally reached A-level status in the States, but when the Boys came together in Orlando, Florida in 1993, the musical climate didn’t appear to be ready for their pop sensibilities. The group then spent the next two years honing their craft on tour in Europe, and finally saw U.S. success with their self-titled album (which is currently the best-selling non-”Titanic” album of 1998).
“It’s actually, this is our biggest tour that we’ve put together,” Dorough remarked as the band rehearsed for the tour in Orlando. “We’ve done several tours over in Europe and in America, and America is constantly trying to catch up with the tours over internationally, and now we’re finally on the same page with this last tour here. It’s a really great show. It’s almost two hours, an hour and 45 minutes, it’s jam-packed full of energy. There’s choreography throughout pretty much every song.”
After the tour kicks off in Charlotte, the Backstreet Boys play Jacksonville, Florida on Thursday.
July 6, 1998
· Filed under Backstreet Boys, Music, Sales
The halfway mark of 1998 has passed, and so far the charts have belonged to the Backstreet Boys, Savage Garden, and all things “Titanic.”
According to New York’s “Daily News,” the top-selling album of 1998 so far is the “Titanic” soundtrack (with 8.5 million copies sold), followed by “Titanic” diva Celine Dion and her “Let’s Talk About Love” (which has sold 4.6 million copies).
The Backstreet Boys have sold 2.5 million copies of their self-titled album so far to come in third, with Savage Garden close on their heels with 2.3 million units sold. Here’s how the first half of 1998 went in terms of album sales according to the “Daily News”:
“Titanic” soundtrack, 8.5 million Celine Dion, “Let’s Talk About Love,” 4.6 million Backstreet Boys, “Backstreet Boys,” 2.5 million Savage Garden, “Savage Garden,” 2.3 million “City of Angels” soundtrack, 1.9 million Shania Twain, “Come On Over,” 1.9 million Matchbox 20, “Yourself or Someone Like You,” 1.8 million Usher, “My Way,” 1.8 million Madonna, “Ray Of Light,” 1.7 million K-Ci and JoJo, “Love Always,” 1.7 million Will Smith, “Big Willie Style,” 1.6 million Garth Brooks, “Sevens,” 1.5 million Spice Girls, “Spiceworld,” 1.5 million Dave Matthews Band, “Before These Crowded Streets,” 1.2 million Pearl Jam, “No Code,” 1.1 million
June 30, 1998
· Filed under Backstreet Boys, Music, Tour
The Backstreet Boys will launch its first full-scale U.S. tour next week, but the band is always looking forward to its next record, for which a Bee Gee has already lent an early hand and which may include a Backstreet/Blackstreet team-up.
“It’s pretty incredible,” Backstreet’s Kevin Richardson told the MTV Radio Network, “we’ve already received a couple of demos from the Bee Gees. Barry Gibb actually sent a demo in with his voice on it for us. We’re excited about the possibility of doing some work with him.”
Aside from the Bee Gees, the Backstreet Boys has also touched base with several of hip-hop’s current heavies as well as some old friends.
“The band is also going to work also with Denniz Pop and Max Martin, the guys responsible for ‘As Long As You Love Me,’ ‘Quit Playing Games’ and ‘Backstreet’s Back,’” Richardson said. “We’re going to be doing some writing with them in a couple of months. And there’s a possibility that we’ll work with Diane Warren, Jermaine Dupri and maybe Teddy Riley from Blackstreet.”
The Backstreet Boys will launch their summer tour on July 6 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
June 10, 1998
· Filed under Aaron Carter, Backstreet Boys, Tour
Beating the odds, the Backstreet Boys have found an act even younger than them to open for them on their upcoming U.S. tour.
When the Boys launch their summer tour next month, their opening act will be Backstreet Boy Nick Carter’s 10-year-old brother Aaron. Following the same career path as his brother, Aaron’s debut album is already a hit in some European countries before its Stateside release next Tuesday.
The Irish boy group Boyzone has also spawned a spin off group, this one a sister act called B+Witched. That group (which is comprised of Keavy and Edele Lynch, the twin sisters of Boyzone’s Shane Lynch) landed at the top of the U.K. singles chart the very same week that Boyzone topped the U.K. album chart.
The other sibling double bill, Backstreet Boys and Aaron Carter, will kick off its U.S. tour July 8 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
May 22, 1998
· Filed under Backstreet Boys, Personal, Support
A New York radio station has given fans of the Backstreet Boys the chance to express their well wishes to the group’s Brian Littrell after his recent heart surgery in their own words.
New York’s Z100 opened the phone lines to fans who poured messages to Littrell into the station’s voicemail system, shutting it down at one point. The station then collected those messaged and pressed them onto a CD that it will soon present to the Backstreet Boy along with a Vermont Teddy Bear.
As we reported last week, the singer breezed through the elective surgery, which repaired a congenital heart defect.
On the audio get well card that will be hand-delivered to Littrell, fans send along their best wishes, their prayers, and in the case of one ten-year-old fan a marriage proposal!
May 21, 1998
· Filed under Backstreet Boys, Release, Tour
While band member Brian Littrell continues to recuperate from his recent operation, fans will be able to see all of the Backstreet Boys in action when the group releases its “All Access” home video on June 2.
The Boys won’t launch its American tour until July (see “Condition Of Backstreet Boy Littrell Unknown…”), but previously unseen concert footage included on “All Access” should provide a sneak at the group’s upcoming live show.
In addition to film shot of the Boys during an intimate performance of “I’ll Never Break Your Heart”, the movie also features a behind-the-scenes look at how the group created the ghastly visages for its “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” video, as well as one- on-one interviews with the band.
The Backstreet Boys will release its next single, “All I Have to Give,” prior to kicking off its tour on July 8 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
May 21, 1998
· Filed under Backstreet Boys, Personal
While band member Brian Littrell continues to recuperate from his recent operation, fans will be able to see all of the Backstreet Boys in action when the group releases its “All Access” home video on June 2.
The Boys won’t launch its American tour until July, but previously unseen concert footage included on “All Access” should provide a sneak at the group’s upcoming live show.
In addition to film shot of the Boys during an intimate performance of “I’ll Never Break Your Heart”, the movie also features a behind-the-scenes look at how the group created the ghastly visages for its “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” video, as well as one- on-one interviews with the band.
The Backstreet Boys will release its next single, “All I Have to Give,” prior to kicking off its tour on July 8 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
May 12, 1998
· Filed under Backstreet Boys, Personal
Representatives for the Backstreet Boys have announced that Brian Littrell has undergone his surgery and is recovering fine.
An official statement on Littrell’s condition states that the vocalist “came through the operation with flying colors” and is recuperating at an undisclosed location.
As we previously reported, Littrell has asked that fans wanting to send cards and gifts instead make donations to the Brian Littrell Endowment Fund for Pediatric Cardiology, which has been established in the Backstreet Boy’s name to help aid children with cardiac problems.
May 7, 1998
· Filed under Backstreet Boys, Personal, Tour
Representatives for the Backstreet Boys are withholding comment on the status of member Brian Littrell, who was scheduled to undergo surgery this month for a congenital heart defect.
Some fans have heard that Littrell had the operation this week, but at Littrell’s request, the Boys’ spokespeople will not say if the surgery has taken place, or if not, when it would happen.
Rather than send cards and letters to Brian, fans are instead encouraged to make donations to an endowment fund set up in Littrell’s name for the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation. Checks can be made out to “St. Joseph’s Hosrpital Foundation” c/o Brian Littrell Endowment for Pediatric Cardiology, P.O. Box 8490, Lexington, Kentucky, 40533.
The Backstreet Boys are still scheduled to start a 6 week summer tour in Charlotte, North Carolina, on July 8.
