"Nervous" is a

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and blu ...

/ doo-wop song first recorded by

Gene Summers David Eugene Summers (January 3, 1939 – February 17, 2021) was an American rockabilly singer, songwriter and guitarist. His most famous recordings include the late 50s "School of Rock 'n Roll", "Straight Skirt", " Nervous", "Gotta Lotta That ...

and His Rebels in 1958 and later covered by Robert Gordon and Link Wray, among others. It was composed by Mary Tarver in 1957, published by Ted Music, BMI and issued on Jan/Jane Records. The "Nervous" recording session took place at Liberty Records Studios in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

in June 1958 and featured Rene Hall and James McClung on guitar,

Plas Johnson Plas John Johnson Jr. (born July 21, 1931) is an American soul-jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist, probably most widely known as the tenor saxophone soloist on Henry Mancini’s "The Pink Panther Theme". He also performs on alto and baritone sa ...

on saxophone,

Earl Palmer Earl Cyril Palmer (October 25, 1924 – September 19, 2008) was an American drummer. Considered one of the inventors of rock and roll, he is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Palmer was one of the most prolific studio musicians of a ...

on drums, and George "Red" Callendar on bass. The background

vocal group A vocal group is a performing ensemble of vocalists who sing and harmonize together. The first well-known vocals groups emerged in the 19th century, and the style had reached widespread popularity by the 1940s. Types Vocal groups can come in s ...

was the ''Five Masks'' (Al "TNT" Bragg, Cal Valentine, Robert Valentine, Billy Fred Thomas and Jesse Lee Floyd). The flipside of "Nervous" was " Gotta Lotta That".

Reviews

BILLBOARD MAGAZINE - June 1958 ''Reviews of New Pop Records''
GENE SUMMERS
Nervous....83
JAN 102 - Strong material and strong performance by the new talent. It's a powerful beat job and the kids should flip over it. Action already reported from the southwest territories. (Ted, BMI) The Cash Box - The Cash Box Best Bets - June 14, 1958
"NERVOUS" (2:22) ed, BMI - Tarverbr>Gene Summers & His Rebels (January 102)
"...exciting opus...could spread like wildfire...strong merchandise..."

"Nervous" cover versions

*Johnny Devlin - New Zealand *Lonstars -

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

*Rock-Ola & The Freewheelers -

*Robert Gordon - United States *Robert Gordon with Link Wray - United States

References

Gene Summers discography
from ''Rocky Productions'', France
from ''Wangdangdula''

Gene Summers session data
from ''Tapio's Fin-A-Billy'',

Sources

*Billboard Magazine - June 1958 ''Reviews of New Pop Records'' United States *The Cash Box - June 1958 ''The Cash Box Best Bets'' United States *Liner notes " The Ultimate School Of Rock & Roll" 1997 United States *Johnny Devlin, "Hit Tunes" EP Boutique/Coca-Cola Records C-1001 Australia, 1959 *Lonestars, "Bop & Roll" CD Jungle Records 3003

, 1981 *Rock -Ola and the Freewheelers, "Upskirt" CD Bluelight Records BLR-3374 2

, 2000 *Robert Gordon, "Bad Boy" LP/CD RCA Records AFLI 3523 United States, 1979 *Robert Gordon with Link Wray, "Fresh Fish Special" CD Raven Records RVCD 57 Australia, 1997 *"Cover Versions Of The Songs Made Famous By Gene Summers" 2007 United States *Article and sessionography in issue 15 (1977) of New Kommotion Magazine UK *Article and sessionography in issue 23 (1980) of New Kommotion Magazine UK *Feature article and sessionography in issue 74 (1999) of Rockin' 1950s Magazine Germany *Feature article with photo spread in issue 53 (2000) of Bill Griggs' Rockin' 1950s Magazine United States *Feature Article with photo spread in issue 54 (2000) of Bill Griggs' Rockin' 1950s Magazine United States

Reviews

"Nervous" cover versions

References

Sources

See also