Brian was born with a hole in his heart which was discovered at the age of 6 weeks. This was monitored by doctors and all was thought to be well. At the age of 5, Brian had an accident while riding his scooter. He hit the gutter and fell off, scraping his skin. After cuddles and Band-Aids from Mom all was thought to be well again.

But two weeks later, he fell into the path of his brother who was riding a bike, and the bike ran straight over him. Brian's parents took him to the hospital for reassurance that he was okay. The injury was fine, but while they were there, they discovered an infection had set in from the accident two weeks earlier. He had a blood infection which went straight for his weakest point, his heart. Brian quickly became very sick and he was given zero chance of living.

Every day his Mom stayed with her baby and prayed for him. But after talking to his Dad's Mom, she began to pray differently. She had told Brian's Mom that Brian belonged to God and he was only here on loan. If God wanted to take him back, she would have to let him go. She then prayed to God, that if He wanted Brian, to take him now, so he would suffer no more pain. She thanked God for his short life and made herself let go. From that point on, Brian slowly began to recover. It was a miracle.

Brian got better slowly, but was to take it easy. His parents didn't want him to play the game of soccer he wanted to, and from that he found the game of basketball. Held back a year at school because he missed so much, he found his best mate, Chris Cawood, and the two of them were always playing basketball together, evenings after school and all weekend. They were inseparable and both dreamed of one day playing for the Kentucky Wildcats basketball team.

However Brian's height led him to missing out on selection for the high school team. He was always short for his age, and while disappointed, he then concentrated on his singing ability. He sang in his church choir and was even voted President of the Youth Chorus by his peers one year. In High School, he was selected in the State Chorus lineups for 2 successive years, a rare achievement for a schoolboy. By 16 he was a sought after entertainer, often booked to sing at weddings and parties.

At 17 and in his final year of High School, he performed in a talent contest with a friend Dawn Crumbaker. She sang the first part of the verse, and when Brian began singing his part, the crowd began to scream and cheer. It was too much for Brian, who, after he sang, turned red and smiled. That experience triggered his desire to further his singing career. It simmered inside him for the next 6 months, until a call came from cousin Kevin Richardson.

It was 19th April 1993 and Brian was in an American History class. He was called out of class for the phone call, which worried Brian, who thought there was something wrong with his family. But it was Kevin, asking him if he wanted to join a band he had also joined. The very next morning, Brian was on the plane to Orlando. When the rest of the band, AJ McLean, Howie Dorough, Nick Carter and his cousin Kevin, heard him sing, they knew they had found their missing member. Brian had the perfect pitch for the five part harmony they were seeking. And the Backstreet Boys were born!!

Their first performance was 2 weeks after Brian joined the group, at Sea World. The date was the 8th May 1993, which ironically was the day Brian should have been at his Junior Prom Dance at Tates Creek High School. The pressure on Brian was immense and the nerves were frayed. They performed 4 songs, it was a huge success, and the Backstreet Boys were on their way...

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