Bay area radio legend Tedd Webb dies

Among his many talents, longtime Tampa Bay radio personality Tedd Webb, who died Tuesday at 72, was a chronicler of vintage, local rock ‘n’ roll bands.

It’s right there on his website, teddwebb.com, alongside his biography and sections devoted to local legends of radio, wrestling, business and politics. And a photo gallery of “Bodacious Babes.”

The quick-witted Webb, whose real name was Henry Ruiz, was known to contemporary listeners as the co-host (with Jack Harris) on WFLA’s AM Tampa Bay between 1994 and his retirement in 2017.

1972: Webb worked at WFSO, the Pinellas Park AM progressive rock station – the equivalent of today’s Sirius XM (but with commercials).

Before that, he was a “boss jock,” spinning the tunes and cracking wise on the “Q Morning Zoo” in the ‘80s. The Ybor City native also worked as a sportscaster, a wrestling announcer and a conservative talk show host.

His resume describes his stints at many of the all-time AM greats of the 1960s and ‘70s, including WALT, WLCY, WFSO, WDAE, WNSI and WPLP.

WLCY, in fact, was the Top 40 leader in this market during the ‘60s, when every teenager, it seemed – including those in Tampa Bay – started a band in their parents’ garage.

Under “Garage Bands” on his website, Webb affectionately remembered them all: The Tropics, the Outsiders, Noah’s Ark, BOOT, the Ravens, Bacchus, the Beau Heems, the Rovin’ Flames, Bethlehem Asylum and dozens of others.

Webb, who suffered from diabetes, had been in declining health for several years. He passed away under hospice care.

His charity work, through radio and through decades of public appearances and support, also leaves a lasting legacy.