The new documentary “1969” from ABC News revisits rarely told stories of the moon landing, Manson murders, Chappaquiddick scandal, and Woodstock with that of Nixon’s first year in office, John Lennon’s Bed-Ins for Peace, FBI shootouts with black activists and the Stonewall Uprising. The six-part series features gripping first-hand accounts of how these events came together at the same dizzying, chaotic time.
The late sixties were defined by a certain sound in popular music as much as the news, so we’re really looking forward to the original score by multiplatinum producer and Grammy-nominated artist, producer and songwriter Salaam Remi. The docu-series music will pay tribute to the revolutionary sounds of a year that reshaped rock.
The premiere episode, “Moon Shot,” includes accounts from the unsung women who helped make the moon landing possible. The following week’s episode, “The Girl in The Car,” tells the story of Mary Jo Kopechne, whom the powerful Senator Ted Kennedy drove off a bridge after a party and left to die. Other episodes feature accounts from Black Panthers, Manson family women and organizers of Woodstock, which nearly became the Fyre Festival of 1969. These gripping stories are told by those who lived them, alongside contemporary influencers including Roots’ Black Thought and celebrity LGBTQ activists Jazz Jennings and Laverne Cox.
1969 was the year I was born, so obviously I was too young to remember any of it. But the events of that year have echoed throughout my entire life. I’ll be watching for sure.
“1969” premieres Tuesday, April 23 (10:00–11:00 p.m. EDT) on Disney’s ABC TV Network.