#TheAccidentals are a barbershop quartet musical act based in New York City and Los Angeles. The group was founded by Chris Wade in 1992 with a group of boys from the All-American Boys Chorus located in Orange County, California. Wade grew the group on the long bus rides the boy's chorus would take to concert tours and performances, doling out the harmonies of Boyz II Men, The Temptations, and Michael W, Smith. Nearly two decades later, the group reconnected thanks to social media and year-round gigs with two of its founding members. The group would gain national attention in 2019, when they were featured in a GEICO commercial, playing basketball and singing barbershop.
The quartet offers live performances in both NYC and LA, where a group of 8-12 guys make up the many bookings on each coast. The group is produced by Chris Wade Musical Productions under company management by Shawn Farrar.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
#TheAccidentals Quartet made their Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade debut in 2021, offering a sweet barbershop serenade of the classic Toys “R” Us jingle, “I’m A Toys “R” Us Kid,” celebrating the return of Toys “R” Us to Macy’s stores across the nation.
Macy’s sought out the group after their appearance on the aforementioned GEICO commercial and other appearances, requesting that they create a barbershop version of the toy store’s jingle for their triumphant comeback. Representing the quartet on national television were AJ Davis (bass), Josh Munnell (first tenor), David Albulario (second tenor), and Chris Wade (baritone). Joining the quartet as an honorary fifth member was the Toys “R” Us mascot, Geoffrey the Giraffe, who rode on the iconic Rocking Horse toy float.
In addition to a barbershop rendition of “I’m A Toys “R” Us Kid,” Macy’s suggested that the group create another cover of the jingle, which ended up being a modern boyband variation that included beatboxing. This variation was to represent the progress of the iconic American male quartet throughout the years, however, it was cut due to technical timing on the NBC broadcast of the Parade.