John Alexander Porteous (July 22, 1932 – May 10, 1995) was a noted
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
columnist
A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (newspaper), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the fo ...
,
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
and broadcaster. Porteous was the voice of Miramichi pulp-cutter Ernie Freshet, a humorous character who appeared regularly on
CBC Radio
CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...
New Brunswick
New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...
, he was one of two sons of John and Gladys (Trecartin) Porteous. He began his career in the recording industry. His work for Canadian
independent label
An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...
, Arc Records, included the signing of
Anne Murray
Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian singer. Her albums, consisting primarily of pop, country, and adult contemporary music, have sold over 55 million copies worldwide during her over 40-year career.
Murray was the fir ...
to her first record contract for her first recording on the album '' Singalong Jubilee Volume Three'' (1965), as Murray was then a participant on the CBC television musical/comedy show. Porteous also produced the album ''Echoes of the Atlantic'' (1963) on Maple Leaf Records for
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
Country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
artist,
Dick Nolan (musician)
Richard Francis Nolan (February 4, 1939 – December 13, 2005)CBC, published numerous articles and columns for such publications as ''
The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'', ''
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...
'' and the '' Reader's Digest''. He published a book of New Brunswick works of photography titled and three collections of humour. In 1980, he established a bursary for journalist students and aspiring writers, administered buy the former Atlantic Community Newspaper Association.Jacket notes for ''Your lobster is Double Parked'' In 2006, selections from ''They Choke Herring, Don't They?'' were included by author Will Ferguson in the ''Penguin Anthology of Canadian Humour''.
He died in
Moncton
Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the The Maritimes, Maritime Provinces. The ...
, New Brunswick.
Publications
* ''New Brunswick Images'' (1977)
* ''They Choke Herring, Don't They?'' (1980)
* ''My Lobster is Double Parked'' (1981)
* ''Here's Your Chainsaw, What's Your Hurry?'' (1984)