Tijuana.- ]They are two dozen survivors of a complicated, exciting world. Most of them are grandfathers in their seventies who once dreamed, when they sang or played an instrument, of being a Beattle.

[/p]

They made Tijuana famous for being "the cradle of rock en español," said musician and promoter Arturo Arrizon.

He's presenting "Tijuana All-Stars," a concert Friday featuring the legendary figures in rock music that was played on the border in the 1970s.

"It will be an Avándaro on a smaller scale, but many decades later," said Arrizon, referring to the 1971 Mexican version of the Woodstock festival in the United States two years earlier.

Friday's concert will headline Fito de la Parra, percussionist for Cannet Heat, which jumped to fame at Woodstock; Javier Bátiz, a rock icon in Mexico; and Agustín Villegas, composer and leader of the group Los Solitarios.

In addition, four of the singers of Tijuana groups that performed at Avándaro will be on hand: Kiko Rodríguez, of Bandido; Armando Nava, of Los Dug Dugs; Frank Bareño, of Ritual; and Alex "El diablo" Villegas, of the bands Zafiro, El Ritual, Last Supper y Peace & Love.

Also scheduled to performa Friday are Beny Loza, of Los Genios; Ginny Silva, of Los Night Owls and Los Finks; Manuel Delgadillo, of Los Strangers; Alberto Isordia, of Tijuana Five y Love Army; Isaac Barcelona, of Super Mama and Natura; and Frank and Irma Estrada, of the Rockin' Devils, among others.

"Some of these artists were not born in Tijuana," said Arrizon. "But here is where they became musicians, before being successful across the country and some cases across the world."