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Before he became a New Kid, Jordan Knight was a hockey-playing, church-going, break-dancer from Beantown. But his life was never really what you would describe as normal. Not only was he the youngest of six, but his parents ran a Foster Home, so there was a constant stream of kids coming through the Knight's house. It wasn't uncommon for as many as 15 to be seated at the dinner table.
Amid the chaos, Jordan stuck close to his older brother, Jonathan. When Donnie Wahlberg called up little 14-year-old Jordan to audition for a new pop group, it was only natural that Jon tag along. The rest is pop history. In the nine years they were together, the New Kids on the Block sold 80 million records, performed an estimated 200 concerts each year, and were named the year's highest-paid entertainers in showbiz. But as is usually the case, fame and fortune came at a price.
There were lawsuits, allegations of lip syncing, and waning popularity with the rise of rap and grunge. Both Jordan and Jonathan suffered from anxiety and routinely had panic attacks when performing live. Jordan describes the group's break-up, in 1994, as a relief. After some time away from the studio he re-focused on a solo career, staying true to the pop and dance music that gave him a rise to fame. NKOTB reunited in 2007, and had a successful tour run with another group of ageless pop-star princes; the Backstreet Boys.
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