Jimmy Drake, known professionally as Nervous Norvus, was born on March 24, 1912, in Memphis, Tennessee. He moved to California at age seven due to his chronic asthma and later settled in East Hollywood, Los Angeles. In the early 1950s, Norvus began his music career by recording demos for amateur songwriters after purchasing a reel-to-reel tape recorder and basic instruments. His breakthrough came with "Transfusion", released on Dot Records in May 1956, which reached number 8 on the Billboard Best Sellers chart. This controversial novelty song featured sound effects of vehicle collisions and was banned by many radio stations. A second single, "Ape Call", also charted that year. Norvus continued to release singles such as "The Fang" and "Stoneage Woo". He died on July 24, 1968, in Alameda County, California, from cirrhosis.
