Gene MacLellan

Gene MacLellan (February 2, 1938 – January 19, 1995) was a Canadian singer-songwriter from Prince Edward Island. Among his compositions were "Snowbird", made famous by Anne Murray, "Put Your Hand in the Hand", "The Call", "Pages of Time", and "Thorn in My Shoe". Elvis Presley, Lynn Anderson, Loretta Lynn, Joan Baez, and Bing Crosby were among the many artists who recorded MacLellan's songs.

Early life

MacLellan was born in Val-d'Or, Quebec, in 1938. He grew up in Toronto in a working class Presbyterian family. As a child, MacLellan contracted polio. In 1963, MacLellan was injured in a car accident in which his father died.

In 1970, Anne Murray's recording of "Snowbird" became a hit in Canada and the United States. BMI recognized MacLellan as the first Canadian lyricist to have a song broadcast over one million times in the United States. Anne Murray also recorded another MacLellan song, "Just Bidin' My Time", which was issued on the same 45 RPM single as "Snowbird".

MacLellan released his self-titled album in 1970, which included "The Call", another of his compositions that became a hit for Anne Murray. His shy and introspective nature made public performances difficult for him. He made his first cross-country tour in early 1972. Over 100 performers, including Elvis Presley, Joan Baez, and Bing Crosby have recorded "Put Your Hand in the Hand". In 1996 he was given the East Coast Music Association's Dr. Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award. )

In 2017, MacLellan's daughter Catherine MacLellan presented a show titled If It's Alright with You – The Life and Music of My Father, Gene MacLellan that was described as "part theatre, part Island music history lesson, and part mental-health awareness campaign". Her album If It's Alright with You: The Songs of Gene MacLellan was released on June 30, 2017, by True North Records. She believes that her father would appreciate the tribute. "He would be happy to know his songs continue on, being remembered and given a new spark," she said. "It’s a testament to what a young guy from very humble beginnings can do." In 2018, a documentary about MacLellan's life, music and struggle with mental illness, The Song and the Sorrow, was released.

Discography Albums Year Album CAN 1970 Gene MacLellan 80 Street Corner Preacher — 1977 If It's Alright with You — 1979 Gene & Marty (with Marty Reno) — 1997 Lonesome River (posthumous compilation) —

Singles Year Single Chart Positions Album CAN Country CAN AC CAN 1970 "The Call" 15 — 91 Gene MacLellan "Thorn in My Shoe" 20 — — 1971 "Isle of Saint Jean" — 8 84 "Pages of Time" 26 — — 1972 "Lonesome River" 16 — — singles only "I Get Drunk on Monday" — 10 — 1977 "Shilo Song" 14 — — If It's Alright with You