Deacon grew up in Oadby, Leicestershire, playing bass in a local band, The Opposition, before moving to study electronics at Chelsea College, London. He joined Queen in 1971 on the strength of his musical and electronic skills, particularly the home-made Deacy Amp which guitarist Brian May used to create guitar orchestras throughout Queen's career. From the third album, "Sheer Heart Attack", onwards, he wrote at least one song per album, several of which became hits. As well as bass, Deacon played some guitar, keyboards and piano on Queen's studio work.