Nervous Norvus

For other people named Jim Drake, see Jim Drake (disambiguation).

Jimmy Drake (March 24, 1912 – July 24, 1968), known professionally as Nervous Norvus, was an American musician known for the controversial novelty song "Transfusion".

Jimmy Drake
Born	March 24, 1912 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Died	July 24, 1968 (aged 56) Alameda County, California, U.S.
Occupation	Musician

Early life

He was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and lived for a few years in Ripley, Tennessee. Because of his chronic asthma condition, his family moved to California when he was seven, eventually settling in East Hollywood, Los Angeles.

Career

When he was 29, he moved to Oakland, California, where he lived for the rest of his life. He was a truck driver for a time, and, in 1953, looking for a way to get off the roads, he began to get his feet wet in the recording industry. He bought a reel-to-reel tape recorder (an Ampex 600), a cheap second-hand piano, and a baritone ukulele. With these accessories, he started supplementing his truck driving income in earnest by recording demos of his fellow amateur songwriters’ offerings.^[1]

His novelty song "Transfusion", recorded for the Dot Records label, was a top-ten hit in May 1956, reaching number 8 on the Billboard Best Sellers chart.^[2][3] A second single, "Ape Call", released in July of that year, also charted and peaked at number 28.^[4][5][6] A third Dot single, "The Fang", released in September 1956, did not chart.

The lyrics in "Transfusion" concern a reckless driver who repeatedly gets seriously injured in car accidents by disregarding traffic laws (speeding, unsafe lane changes, and disregarding stop signs); he vows to never speed again after each accident, but quickly goes back to his dangerous driving habits after asking for (and receiving) a blood transfusion each time. This novelty song features the sound effects of a vehicle collision. The song was banned on many radio stations in the 1950s.^[5] The song was later played on the radio by Barry Hansen, which led to Hansen's nickname Dr. Demento.^[7]

Death

Drake died at age 56 in Alameda County, California of cirrhosis. His body was donated to the University of California, San Francisco, Anatomy Department.