Layng Martine, Jr.

James Layng Martine Jr. (born March, 1942) is an American songwriter whose compositions have appeared on the country and pop music charts over a four-decade span beginning in the late 1960s. His songs, "Way Down" and "Rub it In", have each been recorded by over 20 artists. In 2013, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Some of Martine's writing credits include Elvis Presley's million-selling "Way Down"; The Pointer Sisters' "Should I Do It" and Trisha Yearwood's "I Wanna Go Too Far".

Early life Martine Jr. was born in New York City in 1942. The eldest of five children, he grew up in Stamford, Connecticut. His mother wrote for a movie magazine and later a column called "Teen Scene" for Family Circle Magazine; his father sold advertising for a magazine called Babytalk and later worked for Dell Publishing Company. for SC Johnson's Glade Plug-ins air freshening product. This song was previously a No. 65 single on the Billboard Hot 100 for Martine himself in 1971, whose version was released on Barnaby Records. His song, "Way Down", was recorded by Elvis Presley in 1976, Presley's last record to make the charts. The songs Way Down and Rub it In, have each been recorded by over 20 artists. In 2013, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Martine authored an article for The New York Times "Modern Love" column about his continued love story with his wife Linda after she became paraplegic in an automobile accident. This article was one of the Times''' most-emailed "Modern Love" essays. Martine said that the enormous response to this article was the inspiration for him to write a memoir entitled Permission to Fly, published in 2019. The book is an inside look at the song-writing side of the music industry.

In 2023, The Wall Street Journal'' featured Martine in a music review by Barry Mazor. The younger Martine, of a different generation, chose songs written by his father over various decades and gave them an updated "roots rock sound". "Should I Do It" – The Pointer Sisters "Too Fast for Rapid City" – Sheila Andrews "You Got The Job" – Charly McClain "Way Down" – Elvis Presley "I Wanna Do It With You" - Barry Manilow