In 1964, he moved to Pownal, Prince Edward Island, where he lived with his aunt and worked as a farm labourer and mental hospital attendant.
[4][2] While living in Prince Edward Island, MacLellan began writing songs, including "Snowbird", which was inspired by his observation of a flock of snow buntings on a beach.
BMI recognized MacLellan as the first Canadian lyricist to have a song broadcast over one million times in the United States.
[6] MacLellan won a Juno Award in 1971 as Canadian composer of the year, while Anne Murray was named best female vocalist.
[7] Anne Murray also recorded another MacLellan song, "Just Bidin' My Time", which was issued on the same 45 RPM single as "Snowbird".
From 1980 until his death in 1995, MacLellan performed only in small noncommercial venues such as churches, prisons and nursing homes.
[12] Her album If It's Alright with You: The Songs of Gene MacLellan was released on June 30, 2017, by True North Records.
"[14] In 2018, a documentary about MacLellan's life, music and struggle with mental illness, The Song and the Sorrow, was released.