Yep, I think he's from NYC as was one other band member. I've seen them once about 10-15 years ago and listened to them in the mid 70's when they made it big. I once heard a story about some Boston mafia types loaning them money early on but can't find anything about it.
His real name is Steven Victor Tallarico. His cousin used to own a Chevrolet dealership (Tallarico Chevrolet) in Milford, NH for thirty years. I think there are a lot of Tallarico’s here in the southern NH/north of Boston area.