“Bully of the Town” began as a stage song, written by Charles E. Trevathan in 1895 and made a hit by the singer May Irwin. An early ragtime number, it drew on songs already circulating among levee workers and quickly spread.
Long played as both song and instrumental, “Bully of the Town” became a string-band favorite; the Skillet Lickers recorded it in the 1920s. Among bluegrass and old-time pickers it is most often heard as a brisk instrumental rather than a sung piece.
The tune endures as a lively jam number. The version heard here is by the banjo player Jason Davis.
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