Sir Vivian Richards turns singer

Perth, March 6 (IANS)

Cricket legend Viv Richards has lent his voice to a debut solo release of Australian rock band INXS drummer Jon Farriss.

Richards recorded for Farriss' album named Smokin' Joe which is a tribute to the West Indies great who many consider the most destructive batsman of all time.

The duo met at a party in 2012 and Farriss said there was no doubt he and Richards would get along.

“Viv was such a charismatic and affable guy, we hit it off straight away and it wasn't hard to recognize his love of music,” Farriss was quoted as saying by Cricket Australia on Friday.

“Given these parallels and my desire to hear him on a track, I approached him to see if he was interested in doing something musically and thankfully he said yes.”

With lines like 'Here comes Viv, he's our man, no one else can do what he can' and 'I'm cool, I'm smooth, with a cheeky grin, I've got the swagger, let the party begin', the song is a perfect fit for the man who was known for his on-field aggression, clobbering bowlers to all parts of the ground.

His voice, compared to that of American singer-composer Barry White, is also drawing admirers from former and current cricketers.

Richards scored 8,540 runs in 121 Tests at an average of 50.23.