Cleveland Chenier, rubboard innovator, band member and brother of Clifton Chenier, was born on May 16, 1921 in the rural community of Notleyville, just east of Opelousas, Louisiana.
Cleveland Chenier, rubboard innovator, band member and brother of Clifton Chenier, was born on May 16, 1921 in the rural community of Notleyville, just east of Opelousas, Louisiana. Cleveland was also the first Zydeco musician to use the rippled rubboard (frottoir) on his chest in the fashion that all Zydeco musicians wear the instrument today. Cleveland Chenier was the first musician to develop a technique to rubboard playing by using more than one bottle opener on his hand and loading his fingers with rubboard picks, producing what he called a "weird, echo-y effect."