He was once the leader of Labor Exchange, the acclaimed band known as "the farmers 'mouthpiece." His music covers many styles, blending together traditional instruments, Hakka mountain songs and "eight-sound" music, folk, Western-style rock, and even Okinawan sanshin. His lyrics take as their backdrop life in Meinung, Kaohsiung County. He's been speaking out on behalf of disenfranchised farmers and laborers for years.
林生祥曾是廣受好評、有「農民麥克風」之稱的「交工樂隊」團長，他的音樂曲風多變，融合傳統樂器、客家山歌、八音、民謠，以及西方的搖滾樂、甚至日本沖繩三弦音樂的文化元素；詞曲內容則以故鄉高雄縣美濃鎮為背景，多年來始終堅持為弱勢的農民和勞工發聲。