After graduating from Columbus North High School, Jim received his B.S. in Education and an M.M. in Composition from OSU. He is a musician, composer, arranger, music educator, and owner of the Jim Luellen Music Co. He has been a music educator for over thirty years, mostly with the Columbus Public Schools, and professional musician in the Columbus area for over forty years. Beginning in the late 1950’s he was the leader of the Novelaires, a highly successful teenage Dixieland band that performed extensively throughout Ohio and the Midwest.

Jim has performed with many artists including Phyllis Diller, Eartha Kitt, June Valli, Aretha Franklin, Buddy Morrow, Paula Kelly, Jr., and the Modernaires and toured with the “Stars of Lawrence Welk”. He routinely performs with Vaughn Wiester’s Famous Jazz Orchestra, Matt Ellis’ Standard Time, the Jack Gorham Jazz Quartet, and jazz vocal group Vocal Impact. Jim has also been the keyboardist for the Lewis Center United Methodist Church for many years.