From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Sun Mar 24, 2002  2:19 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Nervous Norvus
 
NERVOUS NORVUS

Born James Drake, 24 March 1912, Memphis, Tennessee
Died 24 July 1968, Alameda County, California

Novelty-styled pop-rock singer. Jimmy Drake worked as a truck
driver and a disc jockey in California, before he suddenly burst into
fame with "Transfusion" (# 8 in mid-1956), a much banned hit about
blood loss as a result of traffic accidents. The song had originally been
released on the Diamond label in early 1956 by the Four Jokers, a group
that included Drake. The follow-up, "Ape Call" , also did well (# 24).
These two songs and the four other Nervous Norvus sides on Dot
form the cornerstone of Drake's musical career : inventive, delivered with
a truly "nervous" quality, the sound effects integrally woven into the
music.
Inevitably for a novelty artist, his popularity run was short and his
downfall was hastened by his addiction to alcohol. Allegedly, he literally
drank himself to death.

Further reading (biography and discography):
http://www.aspma.com/drake/