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".
[3] In Toronto, he played at Massey Hall, the Canadian National Exhibition, and the Riverboat coffee house.
[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.