Albert Cummings

Albert Cummings, an American blues guitarist who also sings and writes songs, has earned acclaim as a master builder. His guitar work fuses the chunky, high-energy R&B approach of Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan with the unrestricted blues-rock improvisation of Jimi Hendrix and the resonant phrasing of Freddie King. He further distinguishes himself as a powerful vocalist with a rich, expressive baritone. After catching one of his live sets, Tommy Shannon and Chris Layton of Vaughan’s Double Trouble produced and performed on the 2001 album From the Heart. The guitarist made his Blind Pig debut with 2004’s True to Yourself. Working Man from 2006 reached the Top Ten on the blues charts and positioned Cummings as a touring headliner across Europe. No Regrets climbed to number five in 2012. While continuing to construct homes and complete award-winning restoration projects in Massachusetts, he managed to record the 2015 release Someone Like You, which hit number two. In 2017 he departed Blind Pig and joined Germany’s Provogue, issuing the soul-blues revue-styled Believe in 2020 that also reached number two.

Born in Williamstown, Massachusetts, Cummings grew up with a father who played guitar and fiddle in numerous local bands, among them a 26-piece orchestra. Watching his father perform onstage left a deep mark on the young musician. Unable to span a guitar neck comfortably, Cummings began with the banjo at age 12 before switching to guitar at 15, learning from recordings by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny Winter, and Muddy Waters.

After finishing at Mount Greylock Regional High School, he attended Wentworth Institute of Technology to train as a builder, still viewing music primarily as a valued pastime. In the mid-’80s he attended a Vaughan and Double Trouble concert at Boston’s Orpheum Theater, after which he abandoned the banjo and committed to electric guitar.

Several years passed before he performed in public. Deeply engaged in construction and design studies and later in his building career, he started his own company at age 26. At 27, during a friend’s wedding, he was persuaded to join the band onstage, an event that shifted the course of his life.

He soon began working the Northeast blues circuit with his band Swamp Yankee and self-released The Long Way in 1999. A chance meeting at a gig with Vaughan’s former band Double Trouble impressed bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton, who offered to produce and record From the Heart in 2001 in Austin, Texas. Cummings initially released the album himself, yet Under the Radar soon acquired distribution rights and reissued it in 2003.

Blind Pig noticed his soulful, explosive blend of blues and rock and signed him to a multi-album contract. True to Yourself appeared on the label in 2004, with Shannon remaining on the sessions and co-writing most of the material. Jim Gaines produced the album, which was tracked in Austin and Memphis. On tour Cummings shared bills with B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Charlie Musselwhite, Susan Tedeschi, Tommy Castro, Bernard Allison, the Neville Brothers, and Duke Robillard.

Working Man became his first charting record in 2006, reaching number six on the blues album charts and holding a spot in the Top 20 for a month. Strong sales enabled him to headline his own European dates, where he quickly gained favor at festivals. The live set Feel So Good followed in 2008, climbing to number five and staying on the charts for six weeks while establishing him as a headliner at home as well.

Cummings issued No Regrets in 2012 on the Minneapolis-based independent hip-hop label Oarfin, his first blues release for the company; despite limited promotion it reached number five on the blues album charts. After touring North America and Europe he returned to Massachusetts to resume building work on civic projects and residences. His final studio album for Blind Pig, Someone Like You, arrived in 2015. David Z produced and recorded the sessions, which featured backing vocalist Theresa James, organist Mike Finnigan, drummer Tony Braunagel, guitarist Jimmy Vivino, and bassist Reggie McBride. The set became his most successful to date, peaking at number two. That same year Blind Pig released the digital compilation Blues Make Me Feels So Good. Following nearly two years of touring, Cummings resumed a full schedule at Cummings General Contractor Inc. in Williamstown.

He signed with Germany’s Provogue in 2019 and delivered his label debut Believe in 2020. Produced and mixed by Jim Gaines at the historic FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, the album showcased Cummings equally as singer and guitarist. Presented in soul-revue format, it contained covers of songs by Sam & Dave, Willie Dixon, Leon Russell, and Van Morrison alongside six originals. Believe reached number two on the blues charts and remained there for six weeks.