| Howie Dorough | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Born | August 22, 1973 |
| Origin | Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupations | Singer, actor, songwriter |
| Instruments | Singing, guitar, percussion, drums |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Labels | Jive Records, RCA Records |
| Associated acts | Backstreet Boys |
Howard Dwaine "Howie D." Dorough (born August 22, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, musician, entertainer, actor and member of American music group Backstreet Boys
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Dorough was born in Orlando, Florida, where he met future friend and bandmate A.J. McLean.[1] His mother, Paula Flores, is Puerto Rican,[2] and his late father, Hoke Dorough, was Irish American. He is the youngest of five siblings.[3] He came to fame in the mid 1990s as a member of the Backstreet Boys.
Howie Dorough and his two friends started seeking a manager when they met Lou Pearlman. Pearlman held a casting call during which hundreds of performers started participating. Finally, A.J. McLean, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson and Dorough himself were selected. They decided to name the band Backstreet Boys after Orlando's Backstreet flea market. They were then booked to perform at many venues such as high schools and shopping malls and eventually managed to sign a contract with Jive Records. The boys slowly became popular in European countries, starting with Germany. They embarked on a tour in support of their debut album. The album slowly climbed up to the top ten slots in most countries and was on its way to sell more than 8 million copies. They started recording their second studio album, Backstreet's Back. As Backstreet's Back was being released in Europe, they released their first album in the United States which was a compilation of both their international debut and Backstreet's Back. The album climbed up to #4 on the Billboard 200 and would eventually sell over 14 million shipments. Meanwhile, Backstreet's Back became an even bigger success than their debut opening at the number one spot in many countries. In 1997, they filed a lawsuit against Pearlman and Trans Continental and continued touring in 1998. They started Recording Millennium in 1998 and released it in May 1999. It became one of the biggest selling albums of all time taking the number one place in many countries. Their first single from Millennium's follow up album, Black & Blue, Shape Of My Heart was released to radio on October 3. Black and Blue recorded first week sales of 1.59 million copies in the US making the Backstreet Boys the first artists to back to back million-plus sales of albums. After releasing their greatest hits album they went on hiatus and regrouped in 2003. They released their next album, Never Gone in 2005. While it was negatively reviewed by critics it enjoyed a lot of commercial success. They released their next album, Unbreakable in 2007. They started the tour for their most recent album, This Is Us, in 2009 which has continued into 2010. All in all, they have become one of the biggest selling artists of all time with record sales exceeding 100 million copies. According to Carter, the band is in talks to put together a new album.[4]
Dorough worked as a producer for singer/song-writer George Nozuka and Katelyn Tarver as part of his management partnership with former 3deep member CJ Huyer, called HC Entertainment formed in 2004.
Howie's first solo album "Back to Me" was released on November 9, 2011. The first single "100" received moderate success and airplay primarily in Canada.[5]
Dorough guest-starred in the television series Sabrina, the Teenage Witch in the episode "The Big Head" as an egotistic rock star named Strum. He also guest-starred on an episode of Roswell, and voiced Santa Claus on the Nickelodeon preschool animated series Dora the Explorer in the Christmas episode "A Gift for Santa". In September 2002, Howie and the rest of The Backstreet Boys made special guest appearances on the children's cartoon Arthur.
In 1998, Dorough's sister, Caroline Dorough-Cochran, died of Lupus. After her death, Dorough established the Dorough Lupus Foundation. The foundation helps raise awareness about the disease, financial support for those who cannot afford treatment, and money for research.[6]
On December 8, 2007, Dorough married his longtime girlfriend Leigh Boniello in the traditional Catholic ceremony. They have one son named James.[7][8][9]
| Year | Title | Peak Positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | JAP | |||
| 'Back To Me' |
|
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| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | JAP | |||
| 2011 | "100" | — | — | Back To Me |
| 2011 | "Lie to Me" | — | — | Back To Me |
| # | Song | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "100" | 3:29 | ||
| 2. | "Back To Me" | 3:43 | ||
| 3. | "Going Going Gone" | 3:56 | ||
| 4. | "Lie to Me" | 3:55 | ||
| 5. | "Pure" | 3:54 | ||
| 6. | "Sleepwalking" | 3:41 | ||
| 7. | "Stay" | 4:23 | ||
| 8. | "This Is Just What I Needed" | 4:15 | ||
| 9. | "Dominoes" | 4:04 | ||
| 10. | "Over My Head" | 3:43 | ||
| 11. | "Shatterproof" | 3:54 | ||
| 12. | "Way To Your Heart" | 3:34 | ||
| 13. | "Unica" (Bonus track) | 4:07 |
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