The line-up of the band consists of vocalists Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh, keyboard player James Prime, drummer Dougie Vipond, guitarist Gregor Philp and bassist Lewis Gordon.

The band split in 1994 until five years later, holding a reunion gig which led on to a new album, Walking Back Home (1999).

The band released another album, Homesick (2001), the last to feature guitarist Graeme Kelling following his death from pancreatic cancer in 2004.

In 2024, they released "Late 88" as the lead single from their forthcoming eleventh studio album The Great Western Road (2025).

Along with Ross, the group originally consisted of Lorraine McIntosh, James Prime, Dougie Vipond, Ewen Vernal and Graeme Kelling.

[9] Ross, a former school teacher originally from Dundee, was the group's frontman, penning the majority of Deacon Blue's songs.

It proved a commercial success and has to date sold around a million copies, peaking in the UK Albums Chart at no.

[citation needed] The band embarked on another sold out UK tour in 1994, after recording new material for their greatest hits compilation album, Our Town.

[citation needed] "Bound to Love" and "Still in the Mood" were pop songs in the tradition of Deacon Blue's earlier albums.

Due to Deacon Blue's part-time status after reformation, Ross released additional solo albums in 2002 and 2005 and has written for and with other recording artists.

In 2012, it was announced Deacon Blue had new management, Paul Loasby and Tom O'Rourke, and had signed a recording contract and would release a new album that year.

The band performed with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at the Grand Hall in Glasgow to promote the release of the album.

[11] All of the band's studio albums were reissued as deluxe editions by Edsel Records in October 2012, as well as a new compilation entitled The Rest.

[12] This was released on 31 March 2017 on vinyl, CD, DVD, Blu-Ray as well as digital download of both audio and video versions.

[13] The band released their ninth studio album entitled City of Love on 6 March 2020, to critical acclaim.

[18] To promote the release of the album, the band announced the Riding on the Tide of Love tour which is scheduled to begin in June 2021 in Brighton and concludes on 19 December 2021 at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow.

It debuted at number two on the official Scottish Albums Charts on 8 September, behind only Back To The Water Below by Royal Blood.

[20] In the United Kingdom, it was a moderate success, debuting at number forty-two on the official UK Albums Charts, spending one week within the Top 100.

[21] The band embarked on a tour of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, beginning in September 2023, to promote the release of All the Old 45s.