Brian Littrell
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| Brian Littrell | |
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| Birth name | Brian Thomas Littrell |
| Born | February 20, 1975 |
| Origin | Lexington, Kentucky U.S. |
| Genre(s) | Pop, CCM |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instrument(s) | Acoustic Guitar |
| Years active | 1993 - Present |
| Label(s) | Reunion Jive |
| Associated acts | Backstreet Boys |
| Website | BrianLittrell.com |
Brian Thomas Littrell (born February 20, 1975[1]) is an American singer, best known as a member of the Backstreet Boys. He is also a contemporary Christian recording artist, and released a solo album, Welcome Home (You), in 2006.
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Biography
Early life
Littrell was born in Lexington, Kentucky to Jackie and Harold Littrell.[1] He has an older brother, Harold Littrell, Jr. At five, he took a tumble from his Big Wheel tricycle that his doctors later assumed signified the start of a bacterial infection that began circulating in his blood. Nevertheless, Brian seemed perfectly fit. A few weeks later at his grandparents' house, Brian was messing around with his older brother when he slipped and fell, sustaining a nasty bump to his head. Worried that he might have a concussion, his mother took him to the hospital where the doctors discovered Brian's affliction. Brian was admitted immediately and started on a course of medication that the doctors doubted would cure him. The infection had gone too far, they said. The doctors actually told Brian's parents to prepare themselves for the worst.[citation needed] But faith sustained his family as Brian remained in hospital for two months gradually recovering. Not only was it the loneliest time of his life, but he admits that he sometimes still has nightmares about it. The doctors called Brian's recovery nothing short of a miracle. "I think everyone is here for a reason," Brian has said. "I think it's destiny why we're all here together."[citation needed]
He began singing as a child in his Baptist church and attended Tates Creek High School in Lexington. Littrell's cousin, Kevin Richardson, moved to Orlando, Florida, during Littrell's teenage years. Richardson had gone to Orlando to find a job in the entertainment industry. After being chosen as one of the Backstreet Boys, Richardson recommended his cousin to the band members and management. Even though Littrell was planning on attending Cincinnati Bible College and studying to become a youth pastor,[2] he was convinced by Richardson to go to Florida and audition.[2] Eventually, he was chosen as the fifth member of the band.
Career with the Backstreet Boys
Right from the start, when he was 18, he was one of the band's lead singers along with Nick Carter and AJ McLean and has solo parts in all of their singles except for 'The Call', 'Incomplete', 'Just Want You to Know', 'Hey Mr. DJ', 'Poster Girl', and 'Beautiful Woman' which were done by Nick and AJ, and 'I Need You Tonight' and 'Weird World', which were done by only Nick. Besides being a pop singer, Brian explored other musical skills, such as playing the guitar and songwriting, co-writing some of the group's numbers (including 'Larger Than Life', 'The One' and 'The Perfect Fan'). During live performances, Brian would often accept a gift from the audience which is handed to him or caught in the air, and typically hold it during the remainder of a song.
The Backstreet Boys began to gain fame in 1995; by 1998, the group had fans of all ages all around the world. However, Littrell was soon faced with a serious problem because of his congenital heart problem, which nearly took his life at age four, had caused his heart to grow dangerously large. He was sent in and out of hospital through childhood. Doctors decided in May of that year to correct his problem by performing open heart surgery. His heart was enlarging due to the hole. Littrell was forced to cancel some concert tour dates as the doctors had warned him that if he kept on delaying the surgery, he would slowly kill himself.[citation needed]
After their success of the late 1990s, the Backstreet Boys went on a hiatus. Littrell, meanwhile, became committed to a number of other show business activities, most of them for charity. He joined other celebrities, such as Bow Wow, Frankie Muniz, Beyoncé Knowles, Usher, Jake Thomas and others, in a yearly NBA tour where he plays basketball in every NBA city before a game. Aside from that, he has also played charity baseball games and remains highly active in the charity he founded, the Brian Littrell Healthy Heart Club for Kids. In 2000, he won the Teen People's 25 Hottest People Under 25, tying with Justin Timberlake.
The Backstreet Boys reunited in 2004 to start recording their new album, Never Gone. It was released in 2005, with their first single "Incomplete." The album "Never Gone" debuted at #1 in various countries and the single "Incomplete" became the Backstreet Boys' first #1 in Australia's ARIA chart. "Never Gone" was quickly certified platinum in the US and selling over 3 million copies worldwide. The Backstreet Boys' fifth album, Unbreakable, was released on October 29, 2007.
Faith and philosophy
An outspoken Christian, Littrell has stated that he believes it is the duty of Christians to be open about their faith, saying, "I think as Christians we need to join hands and mount up together and lift God up and talk about our faith publicly and talk about all of the things God has done for us in our life to touch other people."[2] Littrell, who has been a Born Again Christian since age 8,[3] has said that he attributes his success in life to God, and that his faith has always been "the utmost important thing" in his life.[4]
Career in Christian music
Littrell decided to make a Christian album and become a contemporary Christian singer, while maintaining his duties as the lead singer of the Backstreet Boys. In the summer of 2005 Brian's solo single "In Christ Alone" went to #1 on the Christian Charts on July 4th and Littrell was the winner of the 2006 GMA Music Award for Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year, "In Christ Alone," which won both the 1993 award in this category (when recorded by Michael English) and the 1994 Song of the Year at the GMA Music Awards. Brian's first solo album, Welcome Home (You) was released on May 2, 2006, which like the Backstreet Boys projects, is a Sony BMG release. The album peaked at #74 on the Billboard 200 and #3 on the Christian Charts, and has currently sold over 100,000 copies[1]. Three singles were released from the album. The first single "Welcome Home (You)" reached #2 on the US Christian Charts and #1 on Reach FM's Top 40 chart and the R&R Christian Inspirational Chart staying there for 3 weeks. The second single from the album was "Wish" and in 2007 the third single "Over My Head" was released.
On September 27, 2006, he shared his testimony and performed at the world-famous Crystal Cathedral. The service was broadcast around the world on the Hour of Power television program and seen by an estimated 20 million viewers.
On May 10, 2007 he received an award from the Crystal Cathedral for being a positive role model using his music to touch lives in the pop and Christian market, and using his foundation to help children.
Personal life
In 1997, Littrell met model and actress Leighanne Wallace at the video shoot for their single "As Long As You Love Me." He proposed on Christmas night of 1999 and they were married on September 2, 2000. Both are committed evangelical Christians. Their first child, son Baylee Thomas Wylee Littrell, was born on November 26, 2002.
Brian has three tattoos on his upper left arm. The first and largest is of a cross on boulders with the caption "Rock of Ages", which depicts his faith as the "Rock" in his life (Also refers to his nickname B-Rok). The second is a band around his bicep, in which a message about his wife Leighanne is written. The third, which is located in between the other two, is a cherub, which is symbolic of his son, as he is placed inbetween his two parents (Rock of Ages being Brian and the Band being Leighanne).
Discography
| Album information |
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"Welcome Home"
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Footnotes
- ^ a b Netter, Matt (1999). Backstreet Boys * Aaron Carter. New York: Pocket Books, 43-44. ISBN 0-671-03539-8.
- ^ a b c Ross, Dena. (October 23, 2006). 'Give Glory Where Glory Is Due'. BeliefNet.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-22.
- ^ Christianity Today - Brian Littrell. Christianity Today. Retrieved on 2007-10-26.
- ^ Millar, Sarah. Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell Goes Solo. andPOP.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-22.
External links
- Backstreet Boys Online Source for Backstreet Boys
- Official Myspace page of Brian Littrell
- Healthy Heart Kids
- Brian Littrell Spanish
- Olive Juice is a film in which Brian and AJ appeared.
- Brian Littrell at the Internet Movie Database
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