Cummings learnt the requisite three chords on the guitar from his father, but then switched to playing banjo at age 12 and became a fan of bluegrass music. He went to festivals and won several picking contests in high school. Before graduating, he heard the early recordings of Stevie Ray Vaughan and, while in college in 1987, saw Vaughan perform. Not until he was 27, did Cummings finally decide to go for a career in music.
An intense period of rehearsal (aka wood shedding) resulted Cummings sharing a bill with Double Trouble, the late Stevie Ray Vaughan’s rhythm section. So taken with Cummings’s playing were bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton that they volunteered to play on and produce his debut recording. In 2003 the aptly-titled From the Heart (Under the Radar) was released. B.B. King, who Cummings acknowledged with a funky version of ‘Rock Me, Baby,’ dubbed Cummings ‘a great guitarist.’
A year later Double Trouble joined Cummings again as he signed with Blind Pig Records to create True to Yourself. This time they brought in legendary producer Jim Gaines to control the sessions. The all-original release further showcased Albert’s rapidly developing songwriting chops and deeply emotional vocals as well as stunning guitar pyrotechnics that put the metallurgical properties of his strings to the test. Tours and shows with blues legends B.B. King, Johnny Winter, Buddy Guy and others brought his music to an audience grateful for the opportunity to be rocked hard by a man possessed to play every song like his life depended on it.
Working Man (Blind Pig), Cummings’s summer of 2006 blockbuster release, is the culmination to date of a guitar hero’s career just taking off. A punchy, stomping cover of Merle Haggard’s blue collar standard ‘Working Man Blues’ brings it all home for the master builder and musician. The swinging Texas blues of ‘Please,’ the instant barroom boogie classic ‘Party Right Here,’ the snaky slow drag ‘Rumors’ and the rousing rocker ‘Feeling End’ show variety well beyond the typical slow blues and shuffles of so much contemporary music. The deeply emotive ballad ‘Last Dance’ that closes the disc.
In July 2015, Cummings released Someone Like You, a 12-track Blind Pig album produced by David Z.
In February 2020, Cummings released his 11-track Provogue Records debut titled Believe, produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Jim Gaines.
Official Website: Albert Cummings
Last Dance
Albert Cummings Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
after this I know you'll be leavin
I been waiting all night for the time to be right for me
to ask you to dance
when I first saw you walk in
I knew right then, that I had to figure a way
to walk up to you and say
may I please have this dance
I been waiting for so long for someone like you to come along
for someone like you...to come along
I hope this song goes on forever
so you and I can be together
as if noone else was on the floor
you'll be mine and I'll be yours
may I please have this dance
this may be my only chance
I been waiting so long for someone like you to come along
for someone like you...to come along
The lyrics of Albert Cummings's song Last Dance conveys the emotions of a man who is finally mustering the courage to ask someone he has been eyeing all night for a dance before she leaves. The song starts with the man acknowledging that the time is not on his side as the night is almost over and the lady in question may leave without him having the opportunity to interact with her. Despite his fear and hesitancy, the man decides to take the chance and ask her to dance, as he has been waiting all night for the right opportunity to do so.
In the second verse, the man expresses his desire that the song goes on forever, so that he can spend more time with the lady, as if no one else exists in the room. He is filled with hope and anticipation, hoping that the lady will agree to dance with him and that this dance will be the start of something special. The song's chorus repeats the man's plea to dance with the lady, highlighting that this may be his only chance to engage with someone he sees as special and unique.
Line by Line Meaning
it's the last song of the evening
The singer realizes that the time of the night is getting late and that it is the last song of the evening.
after this I know you'll be leavin
The singer understands that after this last song, the person he is talking to will be leaving.
I been waiting all night for the time to be right for me
to ask you to dance
The singer has been waiting all night for the perfect opportunity to ask the person he has his eyes on for a dance.
when I first saw you walk in
I knew right then, that I had to figure a way
to walk up to you and say
may I please have this dance
From the moment the singer saw the person enter the room, he knew he had to find a way to approach them and ask for a dance.
this may be my only chance
I been waiting for so long for someone like you to come along
for someone like you...to come along
The singer acknowledges that this may be his only chance to dance with the person he has been waiting for so long to come across.
I hope this song goes on forever
so you and I can be together
as if noone else was on the floor
you'll be mine and I'll be yours
The singer hopes for the last song of the evening to go on forever, as if no one else is on the floor, allowing him to be with the person as if they are the only two in the room.
may I please have this dance
this may be my only chance
I been waiting so long for someone like you to come along
for someone like you...to come along
Once again, the singer asks for a dance with the acknowledgement that this may be his only opportunity to dance with someone like the person he has been waiting for.
Contributed by Isabella L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.