Kenny Howard
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Robert Howard also known as Dutch, Von Dutch, or J. L. Bachs (Joe Lunch Box), was a motorcycle
mechanic
, artist
, pinstriper, metal fabricator
, knifemaker and gunsmith
. His father, Wally Howard, was a Los Angeles sign painter; and, by the age of ten, the young Kenny Howard was able to paint and letter at a professional level.
, Howard excelled in track and field
and was referred to as "the fastest man in LA." He had an appreciation for music and was also an accomplished flautist
.
. Von Dutch has been a major influence in the customizing of vehicles from the 1950s to today. Some of his famous works include the flying eyeball and the custom Kenford truckhttp://www.barracudamagazine.com/vondutch.htm, along with numerous custom motorcycles and many award-winning custom car
s. Among many custom car and motorcycle enthusiasts, he is thought of as one of the fathers of Kustom Kulture
.
In 1958, Von Dutch designed and produced the "Mare's Leg
", a cut-down Winchester rifle
for the television series Wanted: Dead or Alive.
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
mechanic
Mechanic
A mechanic is a craftsman or technician who uses tools to build or repair machinery.Many mechanics are specialized in a particular field such as auto mechanics, bicycle mechanics, motorcycle mechanics, boiler mechanics, general mechanics, industrial maintenance mechanics , air conditioning and...
, artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
, pinstriper, metal fabricator
Metalworking
Metalworking is the process of working with metals to create individual parts, assemblies, or large scale structures. The term covers a wide range of work from large ships and bridges to precise engine parts and delicate jewelry. It therefore includes a correspondingly wide range of skills,...
, knifemaker and gunsmith
Gunsmith
A gunsmith is a person who repairs, modifies, designs, or builds firearms. This occupation is different from an armorer. The armorer primarily maintains weapons and limited repairs involving parts replacement and possibly work involving accurization...
. His father, Wally Howard, was a Los Angeles sign painter; and, by the age of ten, the young Kenny Howard was able to paint and letter at a professional level.
Education
While attending Compton High SchoolCompton High School
Compton High School is a high school in Compton, California, part of the Compton Unified School District.-School history:The school first opened in 1896 as Compton Union High School and then later reestablished as Compton Senior High School in the 1950s after the new community college campus opened...
, Howard excelled in track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
and was referred to as "the fastest man in LA." He had an appreciation for music and was also an accomplished flautist
Flautist
A flautist or flutist is a musician who plays an instrument in the flute family. See List of flautists.The choice of "flautist" versus "flutist" is the source of dispute among players of the instrument...
.
Work
In the early 1950s he started earning money by doing pin striping along with fellow pin striper Dean JeffriesDean Jeffries
Dean Jeffries is an American custom vehicle designer, fabricator, stuntman and stunt coordinator for motion pictures and television programs based in Los Angeles, California....
. Von Dutch has been a major influence in the customizing of vehicles from the 1950s to today. Some of his famous works include the flying eyeball and the custom Kenford truckhttp://www.barracudamagazine.com/vondutch.htm, along with numerous custom motorcycles and many award-winning custom car
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
s. Among many custom car and motorcycle enthusiasts, he is thought of as one of the fathers of Kustom Kulture
Kustom Kulture
"Kustom Kulture" is an American neologism used to describe the artworks, vehicles, hairstyles, and fashions of those who drove and built custom cars and motorcycles in the United States of America from the 1950s through today....
.
In 1958, Von Dutch designed and produced the "Mare's Leg
Mare's Leg
The Mare’s Leg was the name given to a customized shortened rifle by Steve McQueen’s character on the television series Wanted: Dead or Alive...
", a cut-down Winchester rifle
Winchester rifle
In common usage, Winchester rifle usually means any of the lever-action rifles manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, though the company has also manufactured many rifles of other action types...
for the television series Wanted: Dead or Alive.