The Backstreet Boys (also known as the BSBs) are a Grammy (Grammy Award)-nominated American (United States) vocal group. They were launched by boy band producer Lou Pearlman, and have been together since 1993. They have 14 Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and have sold over 100 million albums worldwide, making them one of the biggest selling artists of all time, and best selling boy band/vocal group. According to US Billboard 200, the Backstreet Boys are the first artist since Sade (Sade (band)) to have their first seven albums reach top 10 on the chart. Their earlier songs still remain very popular among younger audiences. When they returned to the pop scene in 2005, their sound had changed drastically, incorporating only live instruments (some of which they play themselves) and a more guitar and piano driven pop-rock sound. After the 2005-2006 tour, original member Kevin Richardson (Kevin Richardson (musician)) left the group on June 23, 2006, to start a family, but the four-piece refused to rule out a possible return for the singer. The now four-member group consists of Nick Carter (Nick Carter (musician)), Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell and A. J. McLean. The quartet has since released two albums, the most recent on October 6, 2009, titled This Is Us (This Is Us (Backstreet Boys album)), which went back to pop music, although is still considerably different from their classic sound, with This Is Us being more R&B.