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. 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 lyricist 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. 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. 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