Ronnie Self


Ronnie Self was an American rock 'n' roll, rockabilly, and country music artist, singer and songwriter best known for his original 1957 hit single, "Bop-A-Lena", topping the Billboard music chart in the United States and Australia for two consecutive years.

Biography

Early life

The first of five children, Ronald Keith Self was born in Tin Town on July 5, 1938, the first of five children born to Raymond and Hazel Self, who operated a family farm. The family sold their farm and relocated to Springfield after World War II, where his father began working on the railroad.

Music career

He frequently brought demo recordings to employees at the local headquarters of radio station Radio KWTO, located in Springfield and the home of the Ozark Jubilee. When country musician Bobby Lord, a regular performer on the Ozark Jubilee, was impressed upon hearing a demo tape and convinced Red Foley's manager, Dub Albritten, to have Self scheduled to record on April 24, 1956, Pretty Bad Blues and Three Hearts Later, released as an A-side and B-side in June 1956. Big Fool and Flame Of Love were recorded at Bradley Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, and released as a single in 1956. In late 1956, his country music anthem Ain't I'm A Dog was released to regional success in the southern United States. His energetic, intense live performances - including use of call and response screaming and jamming earned Self the nickname of Mr. Frantic among audiences, a moniker embraced by Allbritten.
His third single for Columbia was Bop-A-Lena, co-written by Webb Pierce and Mel Tillis, and was the only song to enter the Billboard 100 when it charted 63rd in March 1958. You're So Right For Me was also recorded at that session, and delayed due to concerns over its aggression. Music historian Colin Escott has called Bop-a-Lena "the first punk record" and noted that this session, overall, yielded music sharing vocal and attitudinal elements of garage rock and proto-punk and hard rock. Columbia Records elected to first release an LP comprising the songs Date Bait and Big Blon' Baby, though it was unsuccessful. Self's fourth and final Columbia single, featuring You're So Right For Me and the Petrified and released in September 1958. Soon after, Self's recording contract expired and Columbia declined to renew, leading Self to sign with Decca Records in 1959; at Decca, Self's infrequent recording sessions were financed by Allbritten, who occasionally arranged sessions at Owen Bradley's studio in Nashville, Tennessee. As a songwriter, Self successfully penned numerous song lyrics, of which Brenda Lee recorded several, including "I'm Sorry", "Sweet Nothin's", and "Everybody Loves Me But You," which all became major pop classics. His country gospel song "Ain't That Beautiful Singing" was recorded by Jake Hess and received a Grammy Award for Best Sacred Performance in 1969. He also wrote Brenda Lee's 1963 No. 28 UK hit single "Sweet Impossible You", the B-side to "The Grass is Greener" in the United States.
"Sweet Nothin's" and "I'm Sorry" were Self's most successful arrangements, composed during his time at Decca. Self is co-credited as a songwriter alongside Albritten on most Decca productions, which according to Lee stated in an interview that this was done as a way for Allbritten to recoup some of his money he invested in Self's recordings; he had arranged most song-publishing deals this way.

Later life and death

A severe alcoholic, his erratic on-stage behavior and unpredictable energetic live performances stalled his career progression "Bop-A-Lena," released in early 1958 whereupon it reached No. 68 on the U.S. Billboard charts and No. 25 in Australia. His boastful country anthem, "Ain't I'm a Dog", was a regional success in the Deep South, but failed to chart nationally, though successful in Australia.
One single was recorded for Kapp Records and released in 1963. In 1967, he released a record on Scratch Records to underwhelming response. In 1968, Self released his final recording on Amy Records. Ronnie Self died in Springfield, Missouri on August 28, 1981 from cirrhosis, aged 43. Roman released a tribute album to his father titled A Tribute to Ronnie Self in 2003, which is available on YouTube and Spotify.

Track listing (including unreleased)

  • Pretty Bad Blues
  • Waiting for the Gin to Hit
  • Bop-A-Lena
  • Big Fool
  • Ain't I'm A Dog
  • Big Blon' Baby
  • You're So Right for Me
  • Long Distance Kiss
  • Petrified
  • Grandma's Rockin
  • Three Hearts Later
  • Date Bait
  • Too Many Lovers
  • Instant Man
  • Black Night Blues
  • Past, Present and Future
  • Big Town
  • Do It Now
  • Flame of Love
  • Oh Me, Oh My
  • Hair of the Dog
  • I´ve Been Brought Down
  • When He Flies Away
  • Long Train To Memphis
  • Wild And Wooly Life
  • Go Go the Cannibal
  • Ugly Stick
  • So High
  • Some Other World
  • Blame Me For World War I
  • I Want You To
  • Roll Over, Beethoven
  • ''Sweet Little Sixteen''