Kevin Scott Richardson (born October 3, 1971) is an American singer and former member of Backstreet Boys.
Early life
Richardson was born in Lexington, Kentucky to Ann Littrell and Jerald Richardson; Richardson is the cousin of fellow "Backstreet Boys" member Brian Littrell, as Richardson's mother and Littrell's father are siblings.[2][1] He grew up on a 10 hectare farm in Irvine, Kentucky with his parents and two older brothers (Jerald Wayne Jr. and Tim). He spent his childhood in the outdoors, and could already ride a horse at age 4. As a youth, he enjoyed sports and dirt bikes. Kevin lived in a log cabin until he was eighteen. Richardson also liked acting as a teenager. He belonged to his high school's drama club and was a captain of the Estill County High School's football team. After his high school graduation, Richardson, intent on leaving his mark in the show business world, left for Orlando, Florida with his brother Jerald, where he earned a living as a model, tour guide at Walt Disney World and dance instructor. At age 19 he received sad news: his father died on August 26, 1991 after a two year battle with cancer.
Career
Richardson struggled to get any important show business jobs until the middle 1990s, when he auditioned for a new band forming in Orlando. He was chosen for the band, along with Nick Carter, Howie Dorough and AJ McLean. The band was soon named "The Backstreet Boys". Kevin Richardson was convinced that his cousin, Brian Littrell, could also join the band as a singer, and, after travelling back to Lexington, he convinced Brian to fly down to Orlando for an audition. Soon after, Brian was chosen as a member of the band.
The group became famous worldwide during the late 1990s, and Richardson travelled extensively to many different parts of the world while on tour. Once the tours were over, the band kept busy by making cover photo sessions for such magazines as Tiger Beat, 16, Teen Beat and others. In November 1999, Richardson was named People magazine's "Sexiest Pop Star"; he also dislocated his shoulder while snowboarding.
As the oldest member of the group, he was one of the most vocal in terms of addressing to the media.[citation needed] Despite being a tenor like the other group members, he has the lowest vocal range and thus provided the lower harmonies.
He appeared in Krystal Harris's music video "Supergirl!", from the Princess Diaries soundtrack as the guy grilling at the fast food joint at the end of the video.
In 2002, he played the role of "Billy Flynn" in the Broadway production of Chicago. He also performed this role in London's West End as well as Toronto in November–December 2006.
In June 2006, Richardson left the Backstreet Boys to pursue other interests and "move on with the next chapter of [his] life." He issued the following statement on the band's website on June 23, 2006:
"After 13 years of what can only be described as a dream come true, I have decided that it is time to leave the Backstreet Boys. It was a very tough decision for me but one that was necessary in order to move on with the next chapter of my life. Howard, Brian, Alex and Nick will always be my little brothers and have my utmost love and support. I would like to thank the Backstreet fans for all the beautiful memories we have shared together and look forward to including you in the next phase of my life. I wish my brothers continued success and look forward to their new album."
Richardson is composing the soundtrack of an forthcoming animated movie, The Spirit Bear, which is due out in 2007.
Personal life
On June 17, 2000, he married former Rockette and Cher back-up dancer Kristin Willits-Richardson. They have no children.
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