Music has always been a source of inspiration for Curtly Ambrose, one of the greatest West Indian fast bowlers of all time.

Now it has become a way of life.

After bowing out of international cricket in 2000, Ambrose's dream of becoming a musician became a reality when he was invited to play bass for one of Antigua's fastest growing soca/reggae bands - Dread and the Baldhead - alongside former West Indies skipper Richie Richardson on guitar.

Needless to say, he grasped the opportunity with both hands and has never looked back.

Ambrose and fellow Test great Sir Viv Richards were in Bermuda over the weekend to begin preparations for next year's Stanford 20/20 tournament in which the Island's national team will be competing.

"I always wanted to be a musician when I stopped playing cricket and so when the opportunity came I took it up and it has been going good since," said Ambrose, 44, with his trademark big grin.

"As a West Indian I really love music with a passion and from an early age I have always been into my music. It is just something that is in me."

To date, Dread and the Baldhead have toured England, North America and other regions in the Caribbean.

Davison Benjamin is lead singer of the group and the man largely responsible for unearthing Ambrose's hidden talent.

"Bonkers (Benjamin) has already made his mark in calypso music in Antigua. He is no joke because he knows his stuff," added Ambrose, who claimed 405 Test wickets between 1988 and 2000 at a remarkable economy rate of 2.30.

"We have been together for five years and have been getting better and you never know maybe one day you may see us performing in Bermuda. We are basically a reggae group but we also try to play all sorts of music to suit the audience."

Ambrose, who also played English County cricket at Northamptonshire, was bitten by the music bug at an early age. And as he matured so too did his appreciation for various artists ranging from reggae legends Peter Tosh and Bob Marley to country and western greats Kenny Rogers and Willie Nelson.

"I love music in general but grew up listening to the Mighty Sparrow who is one of the greatest Calypso singers in the Caribbean," the 1992 Wisden Cricketer of the Year recalled. "I also enjoyed the Burning Flames which are an Antiguan group and then later on when I got a little older reggae started to come into play. But first and foremost it has always been calypso."

In the heat of battle during his playing days, Ambrose often relied upon music to get the adrenalin flowing. And with Test-best figures of eight for 45, it seemed to do the trick.

"I always had my walkman with me listening to music for relaxation or inspiration and stuff like that," he said. "You have to find a way to relax because cricket is hard work."

Naturally, different game day situations called for a certain rhythms.

"It all depended on the mood. If the team was doing well and we were winning I might listen to something more up tempo like calypso," Ambrose said. "But if we were not doing well I would listen to reggae for inspiration with something like Peter (Tosh) or Bob (Marley) just to get me going.

"To be quite fair, though, I listen to all types of music because I just love music."

Former West Indies skipper and fellow Antiguan Richardson said he takes special pride in Dread and the Baldhead's originality.

"We started out as a soca band but now we are a reggae band with our unique style. All our songs are originals and Curtly is quite tight on the bass," he said.

"We have produced three albums; Back In Yuh Face, Sweet thing, Another Level and a fourth one, Fruits Ah Life, will be released very soon."

Dread and the Baldhead recieved their first gig in 2001 and since then have grown from strength to strength.

"We have been going very well and have toured England for the past three years," Richardson added. "We were in Grenada weekend before last and have been to New York as well.

"Next year we have been invited to Canada, and we are constanly getting requests locally and abroad."