Jim, a Realtor with Ken Meade Realty in Sun City, has wanted to drum in a bagpipe band since he was 5 years old. In 1996 finally got his chance, learning tenor from a drummer in Nicholson Pipes and Drums in Westminster, California.

After moving to Phoenix in 1998, he played with Mesa Caledonian until September 2002, when he joined Phoenix Scottish as tenor/snare drummer.