 Through connections that Dickson had with impresario Benny Shapiro , and with a helpful recommendation from jazz trumpeter Miles Davis , the group signed a recording contract with Columbia Records on November 10 , 1964 . Two weeks later , during a Thanksgiving dinner at Eddie Tickner 's house , the Jet Set decided to rename themselves the Byrds , a moniker that retained the theme of flight and also echoed the deliberate misspelling of " The Beatles " . 
