Why March 4th Matters In Rock History

By iHeartRadio

Published: March 4, 2021 at 11:05 AM

2nd April 1969: Singer, songwriter and guitarist John Lennon (1940 - 1980) of The Beatles, at a press conference at Heathrow airport on his return from honeymoon with Yoko Ono. (Photo by George Stroud/Express/Getty Images)John Lennon, pictured in 1969. George Stroud / Express/Getty Images

It’s March 4th and here are some reasons why this day matters in rock history:

- In 1966, The London Evening Standard published John Lennon’s controversial statement that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus."

- In 1994, Kurt Cobain was rushed to the hospital after overdosing on alcohol and drugs in a Rome hotel during Nirvana’s European tour. The rocker had taken 50 to 60 pills of Rohypnol mixed with champagne.

- In 1977, CBS released The Clash’s self-titled debut album in the UK but refused to put it out in America until 1979. It didn't stop fans from getting the record though – Americans bought over 100,000 imported copies of the effort, making it one of the biggest-selling imports of all time.

- And in 1967, The Rolling Stones had the No. 1 song in the country with “Ruby Tuesday,” the band’s fourth hit to top the chart.