His solo career was unsuccessful, despite being signed to contracts with Columbia and then Decca from the late 1950s through the early 1960s.

[1] His boastful country anthem "Ain't I'm a Dog" was a regional hit in the South, but failed to score nationally.

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.

28 UK hit single "Sweet Impossible You"[3] (the B-side to "The Grass is Greener" in the United States).