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Howard Dwaine Dorough (born August 22, 1973, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. He is best known as a member of the American music group Backstreet Boys.

Early life[]

Dorough was born August 22, 1973, in Orlando, Florida, where he met his future best friend and bandmate A.J. McLean through a mutual vocal coach at the Latin carnival in 1989. His mother, Paula Flores-Dorough, a former babysitter and a middle school cafeteria worker, is Puerto Rican, and his father, Hoke Dwaine Dorough (1938–2008), a police officer, former army soldier, real estate developer, and bank security, was Irish American. He is the youngest by ten years of five siblings: older brother, John, and three sisters, Pollyanna, a singer, Angela "Angie," and Caroline, who died from Lupus in 1998, though his family fostered other children.

Career[]

Early Career[]

Dorough's love and passion for entertainment started singing "Babyface" with his little guitar when he was three. He began performing around age six or seven, thanks to his sister Pollyanna, singing during mass in the church choir and having his first role in the musical adaptation of The Wizard of Oz as a singer and actor. Throughout elementary school, his mother enrolled him in children's community theaters and performed in many community theater productions of top musicals, among them "Sound Of Music," "Showboat" and "Camelot" and got him in singing/voice and acting lessons by putting him in a performing arts academy where he also took dance lessons in classical ballet, tap, and jazz. He even was in an all-boy ballet troupe. He did Little League once before switching to the arts. When he was 10, he appeared in The Wizard of Oz again, this time as the Tin Man, while one of his friends, Sally Wood, was Dorothy. During junior high to high school, Dorough also did some singing in the choir, even qualified for All-State Chorus and talent shows, and joined the drama club and acting school productions, as well as a school TV show called "Macho & Camacho." after he entered high school, he won a role in the production of Camelot at a dinner theater in Orlando. He got discovered by an acting agent when he was 14 and also managed to land roles in movies, such as Parenthood starring comedian Steve Martin at 15, and Cop and a Half, starring Burt Reynolds, Nickelodeon TV production pilot "Welcome Freshman" and star in a commercial for Disney World under the stage name, Tony Donetti. He didn't particularly like this, but his agent thought he was Italian and believed it would help him to get discovered. Although he enjoyed it his entire life, like his bandmates AJ and Nick, he too was a victim of bullying as a child for his lack of Spanish language, his falsetto vocal range when he was 12, and his weight.

His choir teacher asked Dorough to perform the National Anthem at his high school basketball game. He agreed but forgot the words when it was time to sing. Despite the extreme embarrassment, he got right back on his horse and began performing again when he sang "Unchained Melody" at his school talent show and got a standing ovation when he hit the high note. Girls had tears in their eyes, and boys looked on in envy. Dorough was note-perfect, and, this time, he was word-perfect too. His national anthem mess was forgotten as the screams filled the auditorium, and everyone jumped to their feet. He also auditioned for the Latin boy band Menudo but did not make it. He was also involved in a peer counseling group called Friends, where he talked to other kids about living "a clean life, having fun, going to school, avoiding drugs." When he's not working in the spotlight, he works as a tour guide at Universal Orlando and worked with his sister at Zarro's Bread Basket one summer in New York when he was 14.

He was selected 'Most Talented' and graduated from Edgewater High School in 1991, the Top 10 of his class. After high school at 19 in 1992, Dorough auditioned for the Backstreet Boys under his stage name, but they lost his headshot and contact info; however, after six months, they were able to track him down, thanks to AJ, and he was already in the group. He got a scholarship and attended the University of Central Florida and Valencia College with an Associate of Arts Degree with *NSYNC member Chris Kirkpatrick.

Backstreet Boys[]

Main article: Backstreet Boys

Lou Pearlman created the Backstreet Boys in 1993, selecting Howie Dorough along with AJ McLean, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, and Kevin Richardson. They were then booked to perform at many venues, such as high schools and shopping malls, and eventually signed a contract with Jive Records in 1994. They slowly became popular in European countries, starting with Germany, and embarked on a tour supporting their debut album. The album slowly climbed to the top ten slots in most countries and was on its way to selling more than 8 million copies.

As their second album, Backstreet's Back was being released in Europe, they released their first album in the United States, a compilation of both their international debut and Backstreet's Back. The album climbed to No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and sold over 14 million copies. Meanwhile, Backstreet's Back became an even more significant success than their debut album, opening at the number-one spot in many countries.

Dorough is most known for his infamous fart, which was recorded and used as a part of the beat for the song "The Call" from the Backstreet Boys' fourth album, Black and Blue.

They started recording Millennium in 1998 and released it in May 1999. It became one of the biggest-selling albums ever, taking number one 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 album sales.

After releasing their greatest hits album, they went on hiatus and regrouped in 2003. They released their next album, Never Gone in 2005. While critics negatively reviewed it, it enjoyed a lot of commercial success. They released their next album, Unbreakable in 2007 and the follow-up This Is Us in 2009. Their eighth album In A World Like This was released on July 30, 2013. Their ninth album DNA was released on January 25, 2019, with a new headlining tour to follow in May of the same year. They have become one of the most prominent selling artists ever, with record sales exceeding 135 million worldwide. By October 14, 2022, they had finally released their first holiday album, A Very Backstreet Christmas, which made number 1 on the Billboard charts.

Solo projects[]

Dorough worked as a producer for singer/songwriter George Nozuka and Katelyn Tarver as part of his management partnership with former 3deep member CJ Huyer, called HC Entertainment, which was formed in 2004. Since 2010, he has also managed a Canadian band, Neverest, under Dorough's company, 3 Street Management.

In 2006, he started work on his first solo album. The album would include Spanish/Latin songs as well as American ones. But he eventually changed his mind about the style of the album. He noted that his Spanish was not the best and did not want to be something he was not. Around 2010, he started to work on an album that was more pop/r&b style. Dorough's first solo album, Back to Me, was eventually released on November 15, 2011. The album featured many songs that Dorough co-wrote himself. The album's first single, "100", was released in the summer of 2011 and received moderate airplay, primarily in Canada. Also, in November 2011, Dorough joined Britney Spears for her Femme Fatale Tour in South America.

In 2015, while Howie had not announced that he was working on a second solo album, some producers mentioned working with Howie on a new album that is said to be released the same year. On May 9, 2019, he announced on Twitter and Instagram that his latest solo album, "Which One Am I," will be released on July 12, 2019.

TV and film appearances[]

While in the Backstreet Boys, Howie has done some acting over the years, appearing in Roswell, ABC’s television series Sabrina, the Teenage Witch in the episode "The Big Head" as an egotistic rock star named Strum, and voiced Santa Claus on the Nickelodeon preschool animated series Dora the Explorer in the Christmas episode "A Present for Santa", Even did a skit on Saturday Night Live on May 15, 1999. In September 2002, Howie and the rest of The Backstreet Boys made special guest appearances on the children's cartoon Arthur. In 2013, Dorough made his motion picture debut by appearing in the comedy This Is the End along with the rest of the Backstreet Boys. On February 5, 2021, Dorough appeared on Long Island Medium: There in Spirit to receive a psychic reading from Theresa Caputo about his father and sister. On February 1, 2022, Dorough competed in a dance competition for Dirty Dancing on Fox.On June 2017, dorough appeared on the USA network show Big Star Little Star with his then 7 year old son james. On February 7 2024, Dorough appear on the show Name that Tune competing against 98 degrees Drew Lachey.

Other ventures[]

Dorough also founded Sweet D, Inc. with his older brother, John. The company specializes in real estate development and has built numerous condominiums, hotels, and waterfront properties. He's also founded and held the CEO, chairman, and director positions in several other companies, most notably Dorough Lupus Foundation and Howiedoit Productions, Inc.

Early in 2020, Dorough starred in a musical loosely based on his life called “Howie D: Back in the Day” at The Rose Theater in Omaha, Nebraska. Natalie Hanson played Dorough’s sister, Pollyanna, and Christina Maria played his mother.

Personal life[]

During the height of his career, the Backstreet Boys had just finished up a tour in Raleigh, North Carolina, and were at the VMAs 2 weeks later, where they won Best Group Video when Dorough got a call at 5 in the morning from His brother who was with him, had told him he will let him know if anything happened the night before, that something happened to his sister and might wanna come down. Still, he asked himself, "Do I go ahead and go, or do I go on to the next town?" He missed the first flight and went on the second flight to Raleigh, but he missed her when he got to the hospital. He and his family were all praying and begging for her to come back, but In September 1998, Dorough's sister, Caroline Dorough-Cochran, died of Lupus after 13 years battling it. After her death, Dorough established the Dorough Lupus Foundation (DLF) to help raise money for lupus research. Howie did many charity events for the foundation, including concerts, auctions, and annual cruises. The foundation helps raise awareness about the disease, provides financial support for those who cannot afford treatment, and raises money for research. His sister, Pollyanna, dedicated her single "Fly to Heaven" to benefit the Foundation. In 2020, Dorough announced that DLF closed down due to a market crash, but he still goes to other Lupus foundations.

Although he's focused on his career, Dorough also focuses on family. His niece is up-and-coming new singer Chelsea Herring, the daughter of his older sister Angela. He dedicated the band's first US album to his late grandmother, Corene Wright, for being there initially.

According to the band's YouTube page, he has Scandinavian, African, Iberian, Native American, Central and South American, Scottish, Welsh, Balkan, and Middle Eastern ancestry.

Relationships[]

Dorough has been private about his romantic connections. He was so career-focused on his goals as a performer he barely had time to start dating. According to "Entertainment Tonight," he dated his singing partner Jennifer during his final year of high school, but they broke up due to his career in 1994, leaving him heartbroken. While touring Europe in 1995 or 1996, he briefly dated a woman named Sabina and then dated a Canadian model named Claudia Opdenkelder. He stated, "I had come out of a relationship, so I wasn't looking for anything serious."

On December 6, 2000, Dorough met Leigh Anne Boniello, a film executive producer for Warner Brothers and Dreamworks, who was the webmaster for the official Backstreet Boys website. Howie and Leigh dated for six years, and in 2006, he proposed to her in front of her family on New Year's. Howie said he was more nervous about proposing in front of her family than performing in front of thousands of fans. A year later, On December 8, 2007, they tied the knot in a traditional Catholic ceremony at St. James Cathedral, where he was baptized and sang choir in Orlando, Florida. They now have two sons together. On May 6, 2009, Howie and Leigh had their first son James Hoke Dorough, who has a YouTube channel entitled "James the Great." On his birthday in August 2012, Howie announced on Twitter that he would be a father for a second time and that he and his wife were expecting another baby boy in February 2013. Their second son Holden John Dorough was born on February 16, 2013. Dorough and his wife recently launched her first line of eco-friendly handbags called Eslla, a luxury company she designed and founded with her friend of more than a decade, Charlotte Wienckoski.

Discography[]

Albums[]

Title Year Peak positions
JPN
Back to Me
  • Released: November 9, 2011 (Japan)
  • Released: November 15, 2011 (United States)
  • Label: Avex Group (JP), RCA (US)
  • Formats: CD, digital download
56
Live from Toronto
  • Released: March 13, 2012
  • Format: Digital download
JPN
Which One Am I
  • Released: July 12, 2019
  • Label:
  • Formats: Digital Download, CD

Singles[]

Year Single Album
2011 "100" Back to Me
"Lie to Me"
2012 "Going Going Gone"
2019 "No Hablo Español" Which One Am I
"The Me I'm Meant to Be"
"Monsters In My Head"

Collaborations[]

  • "Every Minute, Every Hour" (co-writer) (2gether)
  • "Show Me What You Got" (Howie Dorough featuring BoA)
  • "I'll Be There" (Howie Dorough featuring Sarah Geronimo)
  • "It Still Matters ~愛は眠らない(Ai wa Nemuranai)~" (The Gospellers featuring Howie Dorough)
  • "I Like It" (co-writer) (So Real, Mandy Moore)
  • "If I Say" (Howie Dorough featuring U)
  • "Worth Fighting For" (Howie Dorough featuring U)
  • "New Tomorrow" (featuring Howie D) (A Friend in London feat Howie Dorough)

Filmography[]

TV series & Movies
Year Film Role Notes
1989 Parenthood student in class (uncredited)
1990 Welcome Freshmen pilot
1998 Sabrina the Teenage Witch Himself Episode: "Battle of the bands"
1998–1999 Saturday Night Live Himself and Musical guest "Julianne Moore/Backstreet Boys" (Season 23: Episode 16), "Sarah Michelle Gellar/Backstreet Boys" (Season 24: Episode 19)
2002 Sabrina the Teenage Witch Strum Season 7 episode 2 "The Big Head"
2002 Arthur Himself Episode: "Arthur, It's Only Rock and Roll" Guest Voice
2002 Sesame Street Himself
2005 The Ellen DeGeneres Show Himself Musical Guest With The Backstreet Boys
2012 Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Himself Musical Guest with Backstreet Boys
2013 This Is the End himself With the Backstreet Boys, performing "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)"
2014 I Heart Nick Carter Himself minor
2000-2014 Dora The Explorer Voice Acting Played Santa In A Present For Santa And The Singing Bridge In Dora's Pirate Adventure
2016 Dead 7 The Vaquero
2021 Long Island Medium: There in Spirit Himself Season 1 episode 6

Gallery[]

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