Louis Thurston Nicholas was born on October 2, 1910, the son of Jeff Thurston and Lottie Dunivant Nicholas. He received the A.B. degree at Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes College) in 1934, did post-graduate work at the Memphis College of Music from 1934-1938, received the M.Mus. degree at the University of Michigan in 1939, and received a diploma for Specialist in Music Education from Columbia University in 1952.

His career as an educator includes positions in Dyer County, 1928-1930, and Memphis, 1936-1941, Public Schools, and Instructor of Music at North Texas State Teachers College, 1941-1944. In 1944, Nicholas came to George Peabody College for Teachers, where he was a member of the music faculty until 1979.

Louis Nicholas is also a music critic of note, having held the position of Music Editor and Critic for The Tennessean in Nashville from 1951 to 1975.

The Papers of Louis Thurston Nicholas, which cover the years 1920-1995, consist of 40 cubic feet of material and are concerned with Nicholas's personal and professional life. Major series in the papers include Personal and Professional Correspondence, The Tennessean - Music Editor and Critic, Thor Johnson: American Conductor, Personal and Biographical Material, National Association of Teachers of Singing, George Peabody College Summer Concert Series, Musical and Academic Career, and Collection of Programs.