The rubboard, also known as the frottoir, is a washboard variation that is one of the most important musical instruments in Zydeco music. Clifton Chenier, the undisputed King of Zydeco, redesigned a standard washboard so that it could be carried on the shoulders of the player. Chenier is given credit for the invention because of his design. The rubboard is a percussion instrument made of crimped tin that is played rubbing a bottle opener or other metal piece, such as a thimble or a spoon, over the crimped tin to create a scraping sound that adds to the rhythm of a song.
Zydeco music is a type of folk music that originated in the late 1800s in the United States. It began as a way for French-speaking Creoles and free people of color in rural southern Louisiana to socialize, and it was heavily influenced the region’s diverse culture at the time. More specifically, the music began as entertainment at house dances in the Opelousas, Louisiana area. Clifton Chenier, the inventor of the rubboard, brought Zydeco into the mainstream in the mid-twentieth century, after it had been popular in the South for over fifty years.
The accordion, in addition to Chenier’s rubboard, is a key component of Zydeco music. Other instruments, such as electric guitars, fiddles, and horns, were added to the traditional accordion and rubboard after Zydeco became popular. Bass and drums have been used in many Zydeco bands.
Opelousas, Louisiana, the birthplace of Clifton Chenier and the rubboard, hosts an annual Zydeco music festival where Zydeco fans gather to keep the musical tradition alive. Fearing the extinction of Zydeco music, a group of concerned citizens organized the first festival in 1982, which has been held every year since. In true Zydeco tradition, the majority of the music at the festival is sung in Creole French.
Although Zydeco and the rubboard have their roots in rural southern Louisiana, the rubboard can be heard all over the state. Locals and visitors can sample the home-grown music tradition at tourist attractions in New Orleans, Lafayette, and Baton Rouge. Patrons can enjoy Zydeco music in a few establishments in New Orleans’ Historic French Quarter and on Bourbon Street. They might even get a chance to play a rubboard themselves if they’re lucky. Many bands bring an extra one or two rubboards to Bourbon Street in order to encourage audience participation.