Jack Allday, athletic director for UNT Dallas, is a man of many talents. In addition to serving as the university’s first athletic director, he is the drummer for Jack Allday’s Swing Shift, a local jazz band. Allday and his band will be featured at 10:00 p.m. December 6, 2016 on WFAA Channel 8.
According to Allday, he began playing the drums at the age of 15. Though a three-sport athlete in high school, he still found time to be the drummer with The Nightcaps, a legendary rhythm ‘n blues band whose recording hits included “Wine Wine Wine” and “Thunderebird.” He played throughout college, touring summers with various dance and show bands. A few years after being discharged from the U.S. Army, Allday joined the Tommy Loy Band. With Tommy’s band he played jazz festivals throughout much of the United States. Toda,y Jack plays as a sideman with various Dallas area jazz and dance bands, as well as heading his own band, Jack Allday’s Swing Shift.
Swing Shift plays both dances and shows at a variety of venues. The band has performed at both the Sacramento and Hot Springs jazz festivals. The group most often works as a quartet (piano, bass, guitar, drums) but often supplements the ensemble with tenor sax, trumpet, or other horns. Swing Shift also performs as a six-piece Dixieland band.
