Lee Ving (born Lee James Capellaro; April 10, 1950) is most famous for his role as lead singer and rhythm guitarist for Los Angeles-based punk band Fear. In the late 1960's Ving joined Sweet Stavin Chain Blues Band in Philadelphia, playing with Michael Brecker and Eugene Busnar; they played shows with B. B. King, Buddy Guy and Cream among others. Later, Ving moved to New York and formed the band Daybreak. In the mid 70's, Ving moved to Los Angeles and formed the punk band FEAR in 1977.
Ving has also sung for the band MD.45, which also featured Dave Mustaine of Megadeth and Jimmy DeGrasso of Suicidal Tendencies. The 2004 re-release/remastered record replaced his vocals with Dave's voice. He has also sung country music in the outlaw country genre with the band Range War. Right before Fear, Lee had long hair and played in a six piece blues act called Easy Love.
Fear reached national notoriety after the Halloween, 1981 episode of Saturday Night Live, in which they were introduced by guest host Donald Pleasance. Fear had been booked only because former cast member John Belushi had insisted on their booking as a condition of his return to do two cameos. The band played 2 songs, during which hardcore members of the audience, many of whom travelled to NYC from Washington, DC, slam danced and stage dived damaging the set. As the band began a third song, SNL producer Dick Ebersol ordered the live feed stopped, and a tape of a rehearsal performance played after a brief black-out delay.
Ving played the opposing lead role, Missoula, in Penelope Spheeris' cult classic 1987 Dudes. As part of Fear he was featured in Spheeris' infamous 1980 documentary on punk The Decline of Western Civilization. Furthermore, he played the strip club owner in Flashdance (1983), Mr. Boddy in Clue (1985), and a small role in Streets of Fire (1984), amongst other roles in films and television shows. In 1983 he self-deprecatingly played an over-the-top punk singer in the rock and roll comedy Get Crazy. In the Who's the Boss episode titled "Walk on the Mild Side" (season 3, episode 21- aired 17 March 1987), Lee played "Jake Maguire", who was Angela's (Judith Light) childhood hero. Her daughter Sam (Alyssa Milano) wanted to go to a Beastie Boys concert which makes Angela want to make up for the wild youth she passed up. Her first step is meeting Jake 'The Snake' and joining him on a trip to his 'Rock of Inspiration.' He also impresses Angela with his vocal talents. Ving also appeared in an episode of the short-lived Three's Company spin-off, Three's a Crowd as a criminal in a police line-up.
