Wild Orchid was a teen-oriented dance-pop group that gained a small following in the mid-'90s. The three members of Wild Orchid -- Stacy Ferguson (born March 27, 1975, Whittier, CA), Stefanie Ridel (born May 17, 1973), and Renee Sandstrom (born February 15, 1974, Worchester, MA) -- met as children, and decided to form a group after they acted together in the Nickelodeon show Kids Incorporated and sang backup for Martika. The group signed with RCA, and their A&R rep, Ron Fair, co-produced the band's eponymous 1996 debut, drafting in such session musicians, collaborators, and writers as Jerry Hey's Horns, David Frank, Abraham Laboriel, Sr., Junior Vazques, Bob Brockmann, and Matthew Wilder. Wild Orchid was greeted with generally positive reviews and was a moderate hit; Oxygen followed in 1998. The band remained a footnote in pop history, even after Ferguson (shortened to Fergie) joined Black Eyed Peas and began a successful solo career. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
