Howard Dwaine "Howie D." Dorough (born August 22, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, musician, entertainer, actor and member of American music group Backstreet Boys Dorough was born in Orlando, Florida, where he met future friend and bandmate A.J. McLean. His mother, Paula Flores, is Puerto Rican, and his late father, Hoke Dorough, was Irish American. He is the youngest of five siblings. He came to fame in the mid 1990s as a member of the Backstreet Boys.