Cricket to music: The journey of Omari Banks

Banks, who has played 10 Tests from West Indies, has already performed in the Caribbean and the United States of America and plans to go to United Kingdom and then take his music around the world.

Omari Banks was the first man from Anguilla to play Test cricket for West Indies, and his moment of glory came in his second Test, as he played a crucial role in West Indies’ historic win against a dominant Australian side at Antigua. West Indies chased down a record target of 418 and Banks, who was playing primarily as a spinner, was one of the key architects of the win with an unbeaten 47.

Banks played at the highest level for another two years, with a total of 15 internationals and wasn’t too successful. Post few county stints and years of First-Class cricket, the West Indian quit cricket in 2012, at the age 29. Since then, the bat has made way for guitar. Look at him now and he is unrecognisable. From a young cricketer with short hair, he has transformed to a rock star.

In June 2013, Banks’ first album Move On released with 10 singles in it; apart from that he also has sung other numbers. The videos of those songs can be seen on YouTube, video Unafraid was rated No. 1 in the Caribbean.

In an interview with Cricketcountry, Banks recalled his journey. Speaking about the famous win at Antigua, he said, “That was a good team victory and certainly it was great to be a part of it, and in some ways an instrumental part of it.  It was a situation where my preparation met my opportunity.  So much has been said about it before, but it was a truly unique situation and one that occurred so early in my playing career that with time I can appreciate it more.  We had a team of players who were playing for pride and who believed beyond the odds that we could succeed in that moment.”

Growing up, Banks was passionate about both – music and cricket. Music came naturally to him, thanks to his father Clement, who is popularly known as Bankie Banks, a popular reggae musician.

Looking back, Banks told the cricket website, “Growing up with a father in music I was always around it from an early.  On my fifth birthday, I performed on stage with my dad in Milan, Italy.  My dad also started a music festival — the Moonsplash Music Festival — which is the longest running independent music festival in the Caribbean now. So I’ve had a great opportunity from a very young age to interact with international reggae artists from Third World, Buju Banton, Jah Cure, Culture, Freddie McGregor and just about every name.  So definitely my father’s artistry, his song-writing and his love of many types of music influenced me, but I was also influenced by many people around him.”

Banks was introduced to cricket by his uncle Val. As a child, Banks enjoyed both sports and music. He also played soccer and baseball.

“My uncle Val Banks was a very good cricketer in his own right and he represented Anguilla as a cricketer, was an administrator within the Leeward Islands as well as the West Indies setup.  Before his role in administration he really spent a lot of time teaching and encouraging me with the game.  I actually lived with my uncle and my aunt for a couple years when my mother was working on her Masters and my father was in Europe,” added the former spin-bowler.

He made it big in cricket and despite the demands of professional cricket, Banks never lost touch with music. Even before making it to the West Indies team, he played at local hotels and that was his source of income.

It’s never easy to move away from one passion and make it big in another. Banks, who was a physical education teacher in Anguilla after his cricket days, said that he was more active on the musical front during his later part of the cricketing career.

“During my last two years in cricket, I became more active in music, writing more of my own songs and just being more engaged in that.  At a point the music took over,” added Banks, who is set to release Move On Deluxe Edition in February 2015.

Banks has already performed in the Caribbean and the United States of America and plans to go to United Kingdom and then take his music around the world.

“I plan to tour and perform in the UK in February and do more extensive touring during the summer months. I look forward to touring extensively in Europe and Africa during the summer and plans are in place to accomplish that, and getting my music heard all over the world, spreading a message of love, empowering people to think consciously and independently and having fun doing it,” said the reggae musician, who has played 10 Tests for West Indies.

Also Read: Cricketers who have entered the world of music