Llewellyn was the son of a trumpeter, coronetist and composer. In 1890, Edward began to study the cornet with his father. He also studied piano, violin, and harmony at Chicago Music College. In 1893, father and son played in the orchestra of the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition.
Llewellyn played in the Chicago Marine Band from 1895 to 1899, later becoming solo trumpet in the band from 1900 to 1904. He played, again with his father, at the Pan-American Exposition in 1901.
After the turn of the century, Llewellyn played cornet and trumpet with Brooke's Band on Catalina Island. On August 26, 1903 Llewellyn caught a record sea bass at Santa Catalina Island. It weighed 425 pounds.
Llewellyn was also a gifted sportsman, wrestler and golfer. In 1907 and 1908 he was the U.S. national champion cyclist. Llewelyn was the principal trumpet player with the Chicago Symphony for 22 years. At the time of his accidental death in Texas, he was personnel manager of the Chicago Symphony.
Llewellyn was affiliated with the Frank Holton Company and worked part-time as a salesman for the Chicago branch of the company, where it is said he sold a remarkable number of instruments for the amount of time that he spent doing so.[6]
Among Llewellyn's many students were Clifford P. Lillya, late professor of cornet and trumpet at the University of Michigan, and Llewellyn's successor in the Chicago Symphony, trumpet manufacturer Renold Schilke. After Llewellyn's death, Schilke copied the Mouthpiece Edward used and is part of the Schilke Mouthpiece catalog as the model 9
