It’s January 1st and here are some reasons why this day matters in rock history:

In 1953, Hank Williams suffered a heart attack brought on by a lethal cocktail of pills and alcohol and passed away. He was 29-years-old.

In 1959, Johnny Cash played a free concert for the inmates of San Quentin Prison, California.

In 1962, The Beatles auditioned for Decca Records in West Hampstead, London. The group was turned down. This is now considered one of the worst calls made by an A&R executive in music history.

In 1989, Nirvana signed a one-year recording contract with Sub Pop records.

In 1967, The Doors appeared on live television for the first time.

In 2002, Eric Clapton married Melia McEnery in a secret ceremony.

In 2007, Queen beat out The Beatles in a BBC Radio 2 contest over in the U.K. to be dubbed the greatest British band of all time.

In 2019, Neil Young's wife, singer/songwriter Pegi Young, died of cancer. She was 66-years-old.

And that’s what happened today in rock history.

(H/T This Day in Music)