Holley learned to play the violin, piano and guitar. In the fall of 1949, he met Bob Montgomery at Hutchinson Jr. High School. They shared a common interest in music and soon teamed up as the duo "Buddy and Bob". Initially influenced by bluegrass music, they sang harmony duets at local clubs and high school talent shows. Holley turned to rock music after seeing Elvis Presley sing live in Lubbock in early 1955. A few months later, he appeared on the same bill with Presley, also in Lubbock. Holley's transition to rock was finalized when he opened for Bill Haley & His Comets. As a result of this performance, Holley was offered a contract with Decca Records, his public name changed from "Holley" to "Holly" on February 8, 1956, when he signed the Decca contract. Back in Lubbock, Holly formed his own band, The Crickets. Holly's music was sophisticated for its day, including the use of instruments considered novel for rock and roll, such as the celesta (heard on "Everyday"). Holly was an influential lead and rhythm guitarist, notably on songs such as "Peggy Sue" and "Not Fade Away". While Holly could pump out boy-loves-girl songs with the best of his contemporaries, other songs featured more sophisticated lyrics and more complex harmonies and melodies than had previously appeared in the genre. After the release of several, highly successful songs, in March 1958, he and the Crickets toured the United Kingdom. In the audience were teenagers John Lennon and Paul McCartney, who later cited Holly as a primary influence (the band's name, The Beatles, was later chosen partly in homage to Holly's Crickets). On February 2 Buddy Holly chartered a Beechcraft Bonanza to take him and his Crickets band (Tommy Allsup and Waylon Jennings) and to Fargo, North Dakota. JP Richardson came down with the flu and didn't feel comfortable on the bus, so Jennings gave his plane seat to him. Richie Valens asked if he could go with his friend Richardson so Tommy Allsop also opted for the tour bus. The four-passenger Beechcraft Bonanza took off into a blinding snow storm and crashed into a corn field several miles after takeoff at 1:05 A.M. The crash killed Holly, Valens, Richardson, and the 21 year-old pilot, Roger Peterson.