Ronnie Self

Ronnie Self (July 5, 1938 – August 28, 1981) was a United States rockabilly singer and songwriter. His solo career was unsuccessful, despite being signed to contracts with Columbia and then Decca from the late 1950s through the early 1960s. His only charted single was "Bop-A-Lena"; recorded in 1957 and released in 1958, it reached No. 68 on the Billboard charts. His boastful country anthem "Ain't I'm a Dog" was a regional hit in the South, but failed to score nationally.

Rumoured to be the first Rock'n'Roll singer signed to Columbia despite the objections of the Columbia A&R performer Mitch Miller.

A talented performer and songwriter, Self's career was blighted by his severe alcoholism and erratic behavior, including incidents of violence. However, Brenda Lee's recordings of his songs "I'm Sorry", "Sweet Nothin's", and "Everybody Loves Me But You" became major pop classics and his country gospel song "Ain't That Beautiful Singing", recorded by Jake Hess, was awarded a Grammy for Best Sacred Performance in 1969. He also wrote Brenda Lee's 1963 U.K. single "Sweet Impossible You" (the B-side to "The Grass is Greener" in the United States). He died in Springfield, Missouri, aged 43.