Rock Music’s Most Vile Villains-hall of Shame Edition #14 (Lou “Backdoor” Pearlman)

The Bishop Eddie Long of ‘Boy Bands’ before Eddie Long became ‘Tishop’ Eddie Long. RAP SHEET: The Dr. Frankensteinof boy bands, one that treated his boys with less than stellar parental supervision. The ball starting rolling when ‘N Sync began a bitter legal battle against Pearlman in 1999, claiming he took advantage of their trust. In 1998, The Backstreet Boys filed a lawsuit alleging that in the preceding five years, ‘Big Poppa’ had only given them $300,000 in royalties. Boys singerBrian Littrell was forced to delay crucial surgery on his heart because of touring commitments.

THE DEFENSE: In April 2002, Pearlman was cleared of breaking child labor laws in his treatrment of boy band Take 5. Then, in a strange turn of events, Pearlman would flee the country in January 2007, accused of embezzling $300 million. When the FBI finally caught him, they had a 25 year sentence waiting for him- effectively ending ‘Big Poppa’s’ reign.

QUOTE: “You’ll sign in blood.”  –The words with which Pearlman greeted O-Town members on the TV show Making the Band.