7 Dec 1928 - "Muggles" is the title of a recording by Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra, recorded in Chicago on December 7, 1928. The title refers to the use of the word "muggles" as a slang term for marijuana amongst jazz musicians of the 1920s and 1930s. Armstrong was an enthusiastic user of marijuana, which was legal in most American states at the time.
The personnel of this recording were, in addition to Armstrong on trumpet, Fred Robinson, trombone; Jimmy Strong, clarinet; Earl Hines, piano; Mancy Carr (not "Cara" as his name has been too often misspelled) on banjo, and Zutty Singleton on drums.
1931 - Louis was caught with some stuff and sentenced in March 1931. He never recounted the story of this affair until shortly before his death in 1971, when he agreed to 'tell it like it wuz'. This was that story:
"We did call ourselves Vipers, which could have been anybody from all walks of life that smoked and respected 'gage'. That was our cute little name for marijuana, and it was a misdemeanor in those days. Much different from the pressure and charges the law lays on a guy who smokes pot - a later name for the same thing which is cute to hear nowadays.
We always looked at pot as a sort of medicine, a cheap drunk and with much better thoughts than one that's full of liquor. But with the penalties that came, I for one had to put it down though the respect for it (gage) will stay with me forever. I have every reason to say these words and am proud to say them. From experience."
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