Brian Littrell was just a happy-go-lucky 18 year old, hanging around in his home town of Lexington, Kentucky, when he got a call from his cousin, Kevin Richardson. "How'd you like to audition for a brand-new singing group, here in Orlando?" Kev asked him.

    Brian didn't give it a second thought. He flew down to Florida and gave his all in an audition--and of course, got the job as the first member of the up-n-coming Backstreet Boys.

    Ever since Brian started to walk, he's been singing and entertaining. He learned to stretch his vocal chords in church--he sang in the choir--and he was constantly dancing for an audience made up of his parents and older brother. As he grew up, and realized that music and performing was what he wanted to be doing, he got involved in drama and voice classes. But nothing prepared him for that fateful call from his cousin. "We were always a musical family, and we always sang together whenever we could," Brian remembers.  "But all this--no, I never expected it."

    But Brian was born with something other than a love of music--he was born with a hole in his heart and a heart murmur. "When I was younger, I spent 60 days in the hospital and was given a 0% chance of survival,"  he remembers.  "The doctors told my parents I was going to die. So my life is a miracle. It's a gift I received from all the prayers my family and friends said for me."  Although his parents worried about his heart condition, they couldn't stop their energy-filled son from pursuing sports, his favorite being basketball. The constant activity kept him strong and healthy--and ready for the strenuous task of performing with the Backstreet Boys.

    In May of 1998, Brian underwent heart surgery to correct the medical condition, and he came through with flying colors. After eight weeks of recuperation, Brian was back in the spotlight, performing with the Boys and not missing a beat. Brian knows he's been blessed, and he's more willing to share those blessings with the world.  "I've been given so many gifts, and I'm so grateful for the chance to give to others,"  he says.  "I'll never take all these wonderful things for granted. I could have died, but I didn't--that means there's something I've still got to do. And I plan to do it!"

    Brian is the Poet Laureate of the BSB--that means he's the Boy most likely to focus solely on song-writing one day. He's already written "That's What She Said," which is slated to appear on the group's next album, and he's often said that writing songs is one of his great loves. Watch for Brian to take the reigns and write even more BSB songs in the future--as well as tunes for others.