Nervous Norvus

American musician (1912–1968)

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

Jimmy Drake

Born| March 24, 1912

Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.

Died| July 24, 1968 (aged 56)

Alameda County, California, U.S.

Occupation| Musician

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

## Early life

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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

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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

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

## References

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1. ^ Phil Milstein (2005). "The Many Mysteries of Nervous Norvus". Songpoemmusic.com. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
2. ^ "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media. June 23, 1956. Retrieved December 22, 2017 – via Google Books.
3. ^ ""Transfusion" by Nervous Norvus 1956". Song-database.com. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
4. ^ ""Ape Call" by Nervous Norvus 1956". Song-database.com. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
5. ^ a b Talevski, Nick. (2006). Knocking on Heaven's Door: Rock Obituaries. Omnibus Press. p. 461\. ISBN 1846090911.
6. ^ Palmer, Robert (1985-08-21). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
7. ^ Hassan, Adeel. "Dr. Demento, Song Satirist and D.J. Who Promoted Weird Al, Is Retiring", The New York Times. June 21, 2025.

## External links

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* "Spectropop Reviews 2004". Spectropop.com. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
* "Nervous Norvus — Free listening, videos, concerts, stats and photos at Last.fm". Last.fm. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
* "LCD 19 - Nervous Norvus". Wfmu.org. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
* "Transfusion lyrics - NERVOUS NORVUS". Oldielyrics.com. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
* "Nervous Norvus". YouTube. March 7, 2011. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved December 22, 2017.

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* United States

Artists|

* MusicBrainz
* 2