Ernie (Not Bert): Mail Call

Wednesday, December 24, 2025

Mail Call

This is one of the records I found last Christmas season that I was most excited about. This was released by the postal service in Miami, Florida, sometime in the early to mid-sixties, right as they were rolling out the Zone Improvement Plan (ZIP codes). I suppose I could narrow down the time frame even more by looking up some of the postal rates they talk about, but that seems like a lot of hard work and Christmas is tomorrow. No time for such trivial pursuits. For those last minute cards and letters, this is The Singing Mailmen Of Miami & Orchestra-Mail Early And Have A Merry Christmas (United States Post Office Department/Stereo Sound Studios PODX 1 and 2, Mono).

1. The Singing Mailmen Of Miami & Orchestra-Musical Opening-Deck The Halls
2. Lee Taylor-Christmas Spirit
3. The Singing Mailmen Of Miami & Orchestra-Great Day
4. Lee Taylor-At Rehearsal
5. The Singing Mailmen Of Miami & Orchestra-Jingle Bells Musical Announcement
6. Lee Taylor-Mail Early
7. The Singing Mailmen Of Miami & Orchestra-Adeste Fidelis
8. Lee Taylor-Little Girl
9. Lee Taylor-Counting Friends
10. The Singing Mailmen Of Miami & Orchestra-Count Your Friends
11. Lee Taylor-Christmas Sing-Along
12. The Singing Mailmen Of Miami & Orchestra-Joy To The World
13. The Singing Mailmen Of Miami & Orchestra-Silent Night
14. The Singing Mailmen Of Miami & Lee Taylor-We Wish You A Merry Christmas
15. The Singing Mailmen Of Miami & Lee Taylor-Zone Number-Jingle Bells
16. The Singing Mailmen Of Miami & Lee Taylor-Send It Early-Jingle Bells
17. The Singing Mailmen Of Miami & Lee Taylor-Get Ready Now-Jingle Bells
18. Lee Taylor-Christmas Slogans
19. Lee Taylor-Address Mail Properly
20. Lee Taylor-Broken Doll
21. Lee Taylor-Christmas Cards
22. Lee Taylor-Do Not Open Until Christmas

MEGA (Tracks)

MEGA (Uncut version of side 1)

11 comments:

AnonymousWednesday, December 24, 2025 8:59:00 AM
Likely Christmas 1963. ZIP Codes were introduced in July 1963. And on Jan. 20, 1964 (two months after his assassination) the Torch of Friendship was dedicated to President John F. Kennedy, with a prominent inscription added to the front of the monument.
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AnonymousWednesday, December 24, 2025 9:11:00 AM
Update: Likely earlier than Christmas 1963, perhaps two years earlier. First-class postage remained four cents through Jan. 6, 1963 and the Post Office would not have promoted the old rate in December 1963. (And if the Post Office knew a one-cent rate increase was coming in January 1963, they likely would not have promoted the 4-cent stamp in December 1962.)
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AnonymousWednesday, December 24, 2025 11:37:00 AM
Interesting find, thanks, Ernie. Here's something hot off the presses, or sound/video editor's desk, as it were, our Christmas Cantata, from last Friday night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcoZo_dyA98

Merry Christmas to all, love and praying for y'all.

Romans 11:33-36 KJB

Josh

Church Podcast: https://www.sermonaudio.com/pleasantviewky
Personal Podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/back-to-the-old-paths--4074743
TIBPF Podcast: https://www.tibpf.sermon.net
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BusterWednesday, December 24, 2025 4:40:00 PM
What a cool item!
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YulinkaThursday, December 25, 2025 5:32:00 PM
I couldn't find much on this album specifically, but the New York Times wrote an article about Singing Mailmen of Miami goodwill tour in Sept. 1963. Link might be paywalled: https://www.nytimes.com/1963/09/03/archives/zip-code-is-plugged-by-singing-mailmen.html
Merry Christmas!
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BryanFriday, January 16, 2026 1:22:00 PM
What a fun album Ernie. Glad you found it and shared it.
Oh, I followed the Postal Service advice, I "did" mail early...
Oh, do you only have a 5 digit Postal code?
All those years ago, where I grew up, they gave us an additional 4 digits to add onto the original 5 digits. Funny thing was, most people never used them.
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