This Was Queen's Most Underrated Member
Queen is a rock and roll powerhouse. Their music style has one of the broadest ranges in rock history. There's a little something for everyone. Freddie Mercury's vocal range could produce notes that few people's throats would be able to handle, and the band gave us "Bohemian Rhapsody," "We Will Rock You," and other classic rock favorites. Of course, some members of this rock heavyweight of a band are more famous than others.
Except for Sting, Paul McCartney, and Gene Simmons, it seems like a band's bassist usually gets the short end of the fame stick. Queen's bassist, John Deacon, is no exception to that rule. A large part of that probably has to do with Deacon dropping out of the musical spotlight following Freddie Mercury's tragic death in 1991, whereas Queen's drummer and guitarist, Roger Taylor and Brian May, continued to play, record, and tour. Of course, Deacon doesn't need to suffer the spotlight if he doesn't want to, what with being an equal shareholder in Queen's multi-million-dollar enterprises and all. No small part of that was due to Deacon himself.
Deacon wrote some of your favorite tunes
Queen had a unique way producing music. Most bands find that one or two members write the majority of the songs, but in Queen, everybody had a role in making the hits for which the band is rightly famous. Bassist John Deacon played a big part in some of Queen's most iconic songs, and not just for his contributions on the bass guitar. Deacon a multi-talented hero in the world of rock music.
Deacon might not have written "Bohemian Rhapsody," but he did pen several other Queen favorites, including massive hits like "Another One Bites The Dust," "You're My Best Friend," and "Under Pressure," according to Ultimate Classic Rock. Deacon didn't start composing music for the band until their third album, Sheer Heart Attack. Since then, his work as a songwriter hasn't gone unnoticed. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003 for the work he did composing Queen's tunes. That's no small feat for a quiet guy whose name is overshadowed by the likes of frontman Freddie Mercury.
His bass lines have made an impact
Some of Queen's songs — think "Who Needs You" and "We Are The Champions" — focus less on driving bass lines and more on the groove of Freddie's voice and the band as a whole, but if you've listened to any other Queen songs, you already know that Deacon is no amateur. Many consider him one of the best bassists in the world.
Music Radar ran a poll in 2017 to see who their readers thought were the 40 greatest bass players of all time. Deacon ranked eighth on the list. Similarly, Deacon's riff in "Another One Bites The Dust" scored second place in Music Radar's 40 Coolest Basslines Ever poll, while the bass line in "Under Pressure" came in at number seven. The same sentiment is echoed in Guitar World's top 40 basslines, where "Under Pressure" ranked at number 30 and "Another One Bites The Dust" at number seven.
"Another One Bites The Dust" is a common song for bass players to undertake as a tool for perfecting their skill on the instrument, and the Atlanta Institute of Music and Media lists it as one of the 16 basslines all emerging bassist should learn. Deacon has definitely left his mark on the bass community.
John Deacon saved Queen
Deacon was one of many prospective bass players when he auditioned for Queen. The band picked him up not only because of his skills on the bass, but because of his personal demeanor. Queen drummer Roger Taylor tells Daily Mail about giving Deacon the go-ahead, "We were so over-the-top, we thought that because he was quiet, he would fit in with us without too much upheaval." Guitarist Brian May felt the same way, saying, "He's very solid and no-nonsense. He's always got his feet firmly on the ground."
How did Freddie Mercury feel about the bassist? Mercury believed that Deacon saved the band. "John Deacon kept a very close eye on all our business affairs. He knew everything that should and shouldn't be going on," Mercury said, according to the Mirror. "If God had forsaken us, the rest of the group wouldn't do anything unless John said" it was all right.
Queen was living in poverty while under the management of Trident, according to iHeartRadio. Then Deacon comes along and smells that something isn't right. He cuts ties with the management company and became the band's financial advisor, signing the band with John Reid, Elton John's manager. The finances went up from there on out. All thanks to Deacon.