Summer Side of Life is a 1971 Reprise Records album (MS-2037) by Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, his sixth studio LP, recorded in Nashville and produced by Joe Wissert. Session players include guitarists Red Shea, Jerry Shook, and Chip Young, Rick Haynes on bass, Buddy Harman on drums, and The Jordanaires — Elvis Presley's longtime vocal group — on backing harmonies. Though not a bluegrass record, Lightfoot's fingerpicked acoustic guitar style, narrative songwriting, and Nashville recording context place it within the broader acoustic folk-country tradition that shares deep roots with bluegrass. The album appeared during a pivotal creative stretch, bridging his early Canadian folk work with the broader crossover commercial success he would achieve later in the decade.
Tracklist
- 1 10 Degrees and Getting Colder alt version 2:42
- 2 Miguel 4:13
- 3 Go My Way 2:17
- 4 Summer Side of Life 4:04
- 5 Cotton Jenny 3:24
- 6 Talking in Your Sleep 3:01
- 7 Nous Vivons Ensemble 3:42
- 8 Same Old Loverman 3:22
- 9 Redwood Hill alt version 2:45
- 10 Love & Maple Syrup 3:16
- 11 Cabaret 5:48
