Tenacious D, also known as "
The D", is an American
rock band that formed in
Los Angeles,
California in 1994. Comprising lead vocalist and guitarist
Jack Black and lead guitarist and vocalist
Kyle Gass, the band has released two albums –
Tenacious D (2001) and
The Pick of Destiny (2006). The band's studio releases, and more recently its live performances, feature a full band lineup, including such musicians as guitarist
John Konesky, bassist
John Spiker and drummer
Brooks Wackerman.
Tenacious D formed in 1994 when the members performed as an acoustic duo. The band first gained popularity in 1999 when they starred in their eponymous
television series and began to support large rock acts.
In 2001, they released
Tenacious D, their debut album featuring a full band. The first single, "Tribute", was the band's most successful achieving their only Top 10 in any chart, until they released "The Metal", which was first shown at
Saturday Night Live. In 2006, they starred in, and recorded the soundtrack for, the film
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny. In support of the film, the band went on a world tour, appearing for the first time with a full band.
Tenacious D's music showcases Black's theatrical vocal delivery and Gass's acoustic guitar playing abilities.
Critics have described their fusion of vulgar absurdist comedy with
rock music as "mock rock".
Their songs discuss the duo's purported musical and sexual prowess, as well as their friendship and
cannabis usage in a style that music critics have compared with the storyteller-style lyrics of
rock opera.
