Growing up in Pomona, California, the heartland of custom cars and rock & roll, Steve Cox played guitar as a teenager, and lettered stage banners and drumheads. His love of pinstriping and lettering eventually took precedence over his musical career and he continued customizing after he came back from a stint in the military. In 1975, he started Steve Cox Custom Design, working mostly at motorcycle rallies and car shows. His work has been featured in the book, Pinstriping Masters 2.