Motorcycling lifestyle painter extraordinaire, David Mann spent more than 30 years painting riders on their bikes and capturing the freedom of the road.
Born in Kansas City, Mo., on Sept. 10, 1940, Mann first showed talent for drawing when he sketched hot rod cards as a high school student. But then he visited Santa Monica, Calif., in the early 1960s and saw custom motorcycles cruising the streets. He decided right then that was the lifestyle he wanted to enjoy. After returning home to Kansas City he paid $350 for a 1948 Harley-Davidson Panhead and began painting motorcycle scenes.
In 1963 he took one of his motorcycle paintings called "Hollywood Run" to the Kansas City Custom Car Show and entered his bike in the show. A motorcyclist took a photo of the painting and sent it to Ed "Big Daddy" Roth of Rat Fink and custom car fame, who also published a chopper magazine. Roth commissioned Mann to do several posters for him.
Mann continued to paint, and in 1971 started a longtime relationship with Easyriders magazine. He painted center spreads of motorcycle riding and the motorcycling lifestyle for the magazine for more than 30 years.
He died on Sept. 11, 2004.