Nick, AJ and Howie were well aboard the Backstreet Boys train in early 1993,But there were still two spots to be filled. Kevin Richardson joined soon after and the guys began rehearsing, and then he suggested that his cousin Brian Littrell be auditioned for the final member of the band. Brian was in an American History class when he got the call that would change his life, he had been pulled out of class, and so feared the call would be bad news.

"I hadn't really heard that much from Kevin since he went to Florida," Brian tells Rob McGibbon in Backstreet Boys:Official Biography, "so he was about the last person I would expect to call. He said, 'I've met these guys and we're starting a band. We've been looking for another member and I've told them about you.' I thought he must be serious, otherwise he wouldn't call from Florida.

"I didn't know if I had the courage to go through with joining the group. I was scared and didn'tknow what I was getting myself into. I knew I had a good singing voice, but I never really wanted to be in a pop band, or even thought about earning a living in the entertainment business. But I knew I had to go for it, so I said, 'Yes'."

Brian was born on February 20, 1975 and led a relatively closeted life with an extremely close family. The trip to Florida was his first trip without his family outside his small hometown in South Lexington, Kentucky, about 1400kms away.

When he was five, Brian became so gravely ill that doctors were certain he would die. He was playing in the street when he was run over. He had no visible scars but tests revealed a tiny hole in his heart and a rare and life-threatening blood infection. "My parents were told that it was a very rare condition and few people ever survived, "he recalls. "Because I was so little, the chances were even worse. The doctors basically gave me a zero chance of living. I honestly believe it was a miracle that I survived."

Brian eventually started playing basketball and then joined the church choir. "Singing was always something that came naturally to me. I always liked having a bit of attention, but I don't think I really knew what I was doing."

It wasn't until Kevin's call that Brian realised he wanted to be a singer for a living. When he reached Orlando, he was relieved to see his cousin and immediately bonded with the rest of the group. Brian's voice was perfect for the five-part harmony they had been seeking. The day he joined is the moment the band considers to be Day One, of the Backstreet Boys.

EXTRACT FROM ROB McGIBBON'S BOOKBACKSTREET BOYS: OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY

Source Big Hit Magazine (Australia)

Read a more indepth account of Brian's young life taken from the same book