For Steve Farber, the spotlight has never belonged to just one stage. Sometimes it’s the hushed glow of a listening room, guitar in hand. Other times, it’s a brightly lit conference hall packed with business leaders. For decades, he has balanced these two worlds—globally recognized leadership expert and lifelong musician—proving they don’t just coexist, they feed one another.
His story begins at 13 with a guitar and the usual teenage need for escape. But the moment everything shifted came a few years later, when he discovered John Prine’s Sweet Revenge. Prine’s wit and unvarnished storytelling cracked something open in him. “I began singing his songs and experimenting with writing my own,” Farber recalls. “And I’ve never stopped since.” That spark grew into a songwriting journey that paralleled a career few could have predicted: a bestselling author, ranked among Inc.’s Top 50 Global Leadership Experts, who carried his original music with him around the world into boardrooms from North America to Australia to Thailand.
Musically, Farber works in the fertile ground of folk and Americana. His songs favor stories over spectacle, marked by humor, tenderness, and unflinching honesty. Listeners have compared him to Jason Isbell and Harry Chapin—artists who use melody as a vessel for truth. He thrives in rooms where people actually listen, not just hear, though those spaces can be harder to find in today’s streaming-saturated world. Still, that intimacy remains his compass.
Validation came recently in a major way. His song “Blaze of Glory Ball of Fire” won first place in the Folk/Americana category at the 25th Annual Great American Song Contest. For an artist who’s often played his originals between keynote sessions, the recognition underscored what he already knew: the craft itself has always been his anchor. Instead of endless tours, his stage was unconventional—but it was no less real.
Now, Farber is looking ahead. His forthcoming EP, Echoes in the Well, promises to deepen his catalogue with the same narrative drive that has defined his work for decades. His goal is simple and rooted in community: more listening rooms, more chances to open for established Americana acts, and more opportunities to connect directly with audiences who come for the story as much as the song. His advice to younger artists is just as grounded: “Play out every chance you get. Your playing will get exponentially better the more you perform on stage for live human beings.”
What makes Farber’s journey remarkable isn’t just the longevity, or even the accolades. It’s the seamless way he’s folded two callings into one life. On stage—whether before CEOs or folk fans—he leads with the same conviction: stories matter, and music is one of the most powerful ways to tell them. For Steve Farber, leadership and lyricism aren’t separate pursuits. They’re verses in the same song.
Follow Steve Farber’s music and upcoming EP Echoes in the Well through his website and social platforms.