On Queen’s first album he was credited as “Deacon John”. Not long after its release, he requested that he be referred to by his proper name.
Deacon’s first writing credit did not come until Queen’s third album, Sheer Heart Attack. It was on the song “Stone Cold Crazy”, but it was also credited to the other band members. The first song Deacon wrote on his own was “Misfire” from the same album, a Caribbean-themed song that garnered little attention. He would achieve much greater success with his second song, “You’re My Best Friend”, which was featured on the group’s fourth album, A Night at the Opera, and went on to be an international hit.
By the mid-1980s, Deacon had started to play with other bands as well. He performed on the single “Picking Up Sound” by Man Friday & Jive Junior and played with The Immortals, which released the track “No Turning Back.” Deacon also worked with Elton John and was part of the soundtrack to the film Biggles: Adventures in Time (1988).