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. MacLellan was one of the founding members of The Consuls, a Toronto rock band formed in 1956. He played lead and rhythm guitar and sang with the group between 1956 and 1960. In 1963, MacLellan was injured in a car accident in which his father died. MacLellan suffered scarring on the left side of his face as a result of the accident. 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.
Career
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. He made his first television appearance in 1970 on Don Messer's Jubilee. In the same year, he became a regular performer on Singalong Jubilee with Anne Murray and Bill Langstroth. In 1970, Anne Murray's recording of "Snowbird" became a hit in Canada and the United States. BMI recognized MacLellan as the first Canadian songwriter to have a song broadcast over one million times in the United States. MacLellan won a Juno Award in 1971 as Canadian composer of the year, while Anne Murray was named best female vocalist. 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. In Toronto, he played at Massey Hall, the Canadian National Exhibition, and the Riverboat coffee house. In 1971, Canadian band Ocean's recording of MacLellan's "Put Your Hand in the Hand" became a hit, reaching number two on the pop charts in the United States and number 10 in Canada. Over 100 performers, including Elvis Presley, Joan Baez, and Bing Crosby have recorded "Put Your Hand in the Hand". MacLellan released a second album, If It's Alright with You, in 1977. In 1979, he recorded Gene and Marty, an album of gospel songs, with his fellow Prince Edward Islander Marty Reno. From 1980 until his death in 1995, MacLellan performed only in small noncommercial venues such as churches, prisons, and nursing homes. He was active in "Cons for Christ", a Christian organization dedicated to the rehabilitation of prison inmates in Canada.
MacLellan was posthumously inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1995. In 1996 he was given the East Coast Music Association's Dr. Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award. Upon hearing of MacLellan's passing, Ron Hynes sat down at his piano and wrote the song "Godspeed" in 10 minutes, as described in the Ron Hynes biography One Man Grand Band , by Harvey Sawler. In 1995, the Canadian folk singer John Gracie released a tribute album entitled A Gene MacLellan Tribute. In 2017, MacLellan's daughter Catherine MacLellan presented a show entitled 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 30 June 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, , was released.
