Jim Flora, Born in Bellefontaine, Ohio, attended the Art Academy of Cincinnati from 1935 to 1939.
In 1942 he began working in the art department of Columbia Records and was promoted to Art Director in 1943. That year, he launched Columbia's monthly new release booklet, Coda, which he continued illustrating and designing through 1945, when he was promoted to advertising manager. His replacement as art director was Robert Jones. Flora and Jones remained lifelong friends, their careers sporadically intertwining. Flora's artwork began appearing on Columbia 78rpm album covers in 1947.
In March 1953 Jones became Art Director at RCA Victor Records, where he soon began jobbing out album cover assignments to Flora. This resulted in a veritable Golden Age of Flora LP covers, including such celebrated designs as Mambo for Cats.
This introduction is taken from Jim Flora’s entry on Wikipedia where detailed information about his career, influence and broad creative output can be found.