About Cajun Shield Rubboards
Harvey’s Cajun Rubboards come in 2 shapes. The square bottom rubboard and the shield-shaped rubboard. These are made in the tradition of old Louisiana Zydeco rubboards and are sturdier than your standard washboard. Both designs come in a kids’ size which is smaller and more fitting for a child.
Square Bottom Rubboard
Shield Rubboard
Kids Square Bottom Rubboard
Kids Shield Rubboard
Cajun Shield Rubboards are fabricated by Harvey Trahan and with the help of his amazing friends like Luke and Craig In their machine shop in Dripping Springs, TX called C&C Sheet Metals.
The boards start off as a flat sheet of stainless steel. Then the corrugated crimps are applied. The shape is cut out. The shoulder straps are connected and attached. The boards are made of 22 gauge stainless steel. The shoulder straps are made of 20 gauge stainless. All boards have a 100% guarantee on any workmanship or defect.
Where the Name Came From
Brad Houser was the sax player in a band I was in called Zydeco Blanco. He was also the bass player for Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians. He passed away in 2023. He came to the last gig that I saw him play with us and said “Harvey, I had a dream that you should call your rubboards Cajun Shield Rubboards.” So there you have it.
Brad Houser & Edie Brickell
Rubboard History
The history of the Louisiana rubboard, also known as the frottoir, is a story of collaboration between a Cajun metal craftsman and a Creole musician. The rubboard is a percussion instrument that’s worn on the chest and is a key part of Zydeco music.
Origins
The rubboard’s roots can be traced back to precolonial West Africa, where people played notched gourds and animal jawbones by scraping a wooden stick over them. The washboard was also a common instrument in early American music, and was often played with spoons, jugs, or bottle openers.
Design
The rubboard was designed in 1946 by Clifton Chenier, the “King of Zydeco”, who drew the first design in the dirt. Willie Landry, a Cajun metal craftsman, then fashioned the rubboard. The rubboard is a distillation of the washboard, with a percussive surface and shoulder straps.
Popularity
The rubboard was popularized by Clifton Chenier and his brother Cleveland, who played the first rubboard.
Legacy
Tee Don Landry, Willie Landry’s son, continues his father’s rubboard business and is known for his Key of Z Rubboards. Landry has shipped thousands of his rubboards around the world and has established Sunset, Louisiana as the “Rubboard Capital of the World”.
Luke Trevino
