howie dorough

Backstreet Boy Howie D Weds in Florida
14 hours ago

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) ― Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough is single no more. He wed his longtime girlfriend Saturday in his hometown, the band's attorney confirmed.

Fellow Backstreet Boys bandmates were in attendance as Dorough, 34, married Leigh Boniello at St. James Cathedral in a traditional Catholic ceremony, People and OK! magazine reported on their Web sites.

"The wedding took place as planned and all went well," attorney Jason L. Turner said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

Dorough, also known as Howie D, proposed to his girlfriend of six years last New Year's.

"She wasn't expecting it, and I was quite nervous ― more nervous about proposing to her in front of 40 family and friends than about performing in front of 40,000 people onstage," Dorough told People earlier this year.
Dorough was born in Orlando, Florida [1] to a Puerto Rican mother,[2] Paula Flores, and an Irish American father, Hoke Dorough. Dorough had a passion for the entertainment business since he was three years old, when he would jump on his grandparents bed, singing "Baby Face" while strumming his tiny guitar. At the age of six, Dorough participated in an Orlando production of The Wizard of Oz to get his start in entertainment business.


[edit] Personal life
On August 16, 2007, Dorough announced his engagement to long-time girlfriend, Leigh Boniello. Dorough and Boniello, a film exec turned real estate broker, met in 2000, during the Backstreet Boys' Into the Millennium tour, where Boniello was serving as webmaster to the Boys' official site. Dorough planned his proposal on his DLF Cruise in December of 2006. He proposed to her on New Year's that year. On December 8, 2007 in Orlando, Dorough married Leigh Boniello.[3]


[edit] Career
Dorough auditioned for the Backstreet Boys, where he reached worldwide fame along with group mates AJ McLean, Brian Littrell, Kevin Richardson and Nick Carter. After the group reached stardom, Dorough and the rest of the band became staples on the covers of such magazines as Tiger Beat and 16. In 1998, Howie's sister, Caroline Dorough-Cochran, died of Lupus. After her passing, Howie established the Dorough Lupus Foundation. The foundation helps raise awareness about the disease, financial support for those who cannot afford treatment, and money for research. To date over half a million dollars have been raised for finding a cure.

As one of the four contributing voices to the Backstreet Boys, Howie is notable for his high falsetto. Being the countertenor, he has usually sung the highest harmony in the choruses, and is notable for being a normal choice for ballads, where he has taken over some slow-tempoed lines ('I Want It That Way', 'Drowning', 'The Answer To Our Life', 'The Perfect Fan').

Howie has sung lead on several Backstreet Boys tracks, the most notable being "Spanish Eyes" from the Millennium album and two tracks that he penned himself: "What Makes You Different (Makes You Beautiful)" and "How Did I Fall In Love With You" sung with Brian Littrell (Black and Blue).

Still he's mostly the official two-part harmoniser of the group, often supporting either Brian, Nick or AJ while they're singing solo (e.g. 'Incomplete' chorus, 'Larger Than Life' pre-chorus, some parts of 'I Still', 'Shape Of My Heart' pre-choruses). However, on the latest album "Unbreakable," Howie's voice has been more noticeable in many of the songs; this is because Kevin Richardson didn't participate in this album. Moreover, Howie has mostly replaced Kevin's part in live concerts when they perform old songs, such as in an I Want It That Way performance in Japan,[4] even though they have completely different vocal ranges.

As of late, Howie has also been working as a producer/mentor to singer/song-writer George Nozuka.


[edit] Discography
His December "I do's" just around the corner, Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough said so long to his single status on November 16, 2007 with a bachelor bash held at TAO nightclub, inside Las Vegas landmark Venetian Hotel and Casino Resort, OK magazine reports. Both current and former boy band buddies of the prospective groom, A.J. McLean and Kevin Richardson, raised their glasses in a toast to their friend and his love of the past seven years, Leigh Boniello, who recently gave Entertainment Tonight a sneak peek at the ivory-hued creation she will wear when she walks down the aisle to receive a wedding band to accompany the platinum engagement ring from Plantation Jewelers that she has worn since New Year's Eve 2006.

A favorite of Tinseltown types about to tie the knot, Howie Dorough joins a long list of stars who have celebrated their upcoming unions at TAO. "Ugly Betty" cast member Ana Ortiz, "Private Practice" star Kate Walsh and "Dancing With The Stars" duo Edyta Sliwinska and Alec Mazo all chose the Vegas venue for their pre-wedding parties.
Labels: Celebrity Travel