Fergie

Singer Stacy Ferguson, known as “Fergie,” joined the Black Eyed Peas in 2003 and helped them top the charts with “Hey Mama” and other hits. Ferguson grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles and began performing professionally as a child. She did voice work for Charlie Brown cartoons (she was Sally) in the early 1980s, and spent five years (1984-89) as a cast member of the syndicated TV show Kids Incorporated. She was a member of the pop trio Wild Orchid, which produced a handful of hit songs and videos, including “At Night I Pray” (1996) and “Talk to Me” (1997). Songs she recorded with the Black Eyed Peas in 2003 became popular singles and she formally joined the band. Their album Elephunk was one of the biggest hits of 2003-04 and included the songs “Let’s Get Retarded” (later recorded as “Let’s Get It Started”) and “Where Is The Love?” Their follow-up album, Monkey Business (2005), continued their hot streak with the hits “My Humps” and “Don’t Phunk with My Heart.” Fergie released a solo album in 2006, The Dutchess, and had hits with “London Bridge” and “Fergalicious.” She also continued in her career as an actress, landing roles in Poseidon (2006, with Richard Dreyfuss) and the zombie movie Grindhouse, directed by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez.

Fergie’s album title The Dutchess is considered a nod to Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, who is also nicknamed Fergie.