March 27: Fergie of The Black Eyed Peas is 36 today.

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Did you know?

In October 2009, Ferguson became a part owner of the National Football League's Miami Dolphins.

Fergie was a member of the children's television series Kids Incorporated, and provided the voice for Sally in two made-for-television Peanuts cartoons.

In addition to her success with The Black Eyed Peas, her own debut album spawned four Billboard Hot 100 top five singles, with three reaching number one.

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Stacy Ann Ferguson - better known by her stage name Fergie - Ferguson was born in Hacienda Heights, California, She studied dance and began to do voice-over work, providing the voice for Sally in two made-for-television Peanuts cartoons, (It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown in 1984, and Snoopy's Getting Married, Charlie Brown in  1985, as well as on four episodes of The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show. From 1984 to 1989, she starred on the TV show Kids Incorporated. All that time, she was a cheerleader, straight-A student, and spelling bee champion, as well as a Girl Scout.

Ferguson was a member of the female trio Wild Orchid, which she fronted with Stefanie Ridel and fellow Kids Incorporated star Renee Sandstrom. They eventually signed a music publishing deal with Sony Publishing before signing a record contract with RCA Records in 1994.

Their first single, "At Night I Pray," debuted on the Billboard charts in Fall 1996. In March 1997, Wild Orchid released their self-titled debut album. In September 1998, they released their second album, Oxygen. The record label decided against releasing their third album, and Ferguson left the group in September 2001.

In a 2006 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ferguson revealed that both frustrations with the band's image and personal drug problems led her to leave Wild Orchid.


The Black Eyed Peas were recording their third album, 2003's Elephunk, when will.i.am invited Ferguson to try out for a song called "Shut Up." She went to record five additional songs on the album.

The following spring, shortly before Elephunk came out, Interscope chairman Jimmy Iovine offered Ferguson a permanent spot to take over vocal duties and fill the void left by background singer Kim Hill's departure in 2000.

From Elephunk came "Where is the Love?," which became The Black Eyed Peas' first major hit, peaking at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, but topping the charts in several other countries. The album also included "Shut Up," which also topped the charts in multiple markets. The third single from the album, "Hey Mama" hit top 10 in many European countries and later reached number twenty-three in the US.

Their next album, Monkey Business, released in June 2005, debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. The album's first single, "Don't Phunk with My Heart," reached number three in the US and earned them a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

"Don't Lie," the second single from the album, saw success  reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. "My Humps," another song from the album, immediately reached number 3 on the Hot 100 in the U.S. and number one in Australia.

Ferguson's debut solo album, The Dutchess, was released in September 2006. It spawned six hits including "London Bridge," "Fergalicious," "Glamorous," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Clumsy," and "Finally." Ferguson scored her fifth consecutive Top 5 hit from The Dutchess after "Clumsy" reached a peak position of number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

On November 18, 2007, Ferguson won the Pop or Rock "Favorite Female Artist" at the American Music Awards.
In addition, her song "Big Girls Don't Cry" also earned Ferguson a Grammy nomination for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance." In December 2007, Blender picked Ferguson as their woman of the year.

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Ferguson returned to acting in 2006, appearing as a lounge singer in the Poseidon remake and later had supporting roles in 2007's Grindhouse and the 2009 musical film Nine filmed in 2008.

The Black Eyed Peas released "Boom Boom Pow" from the album The E.N.D. in late March 2009. It went to number one in the US, making it the group's first chart topper.

They subsequently released a second single from the album, "I Gotta Feeling," which moving from number 2 behind "Boom Boom Pow" to the top spot on July 11, and remained there for 14 straight weeks. The two hit singles back to back kept The Black Eyed Peas on the top for 26 consecutive weeks.

"Meet Me Halfway" was released as the third single from the album in September 2009. The single reached number one in the UK and Australia. It also peaked at seven on the Billboard Hot 100. "Imma Be" was released as the fourth single, reaching number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. "Rock That Body" was then released as the fifth single, and has reached number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Black Eyed Peas' sixth album, The Beginning, was released in November 2010 and is their fourth studio album to feature the singer. The first single from the album, "The Time (Dirty Bit)," topped the charts in various countries.

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