There's a sad tendency here to find fault with people who've 'made it' in the commercial world. Barbara was always a fine musician & as good a piano accompanist as I ever had in thoose early days, quite apart from her singing.
Mind you, he always had an eye to a commercial future & well done to her success in that context.
   I remember one time in Fife, the Marsden Rattlers were support to her at the Elbow Room which was a folk club but with a stage. We did our bit & then she ran on stage. She'd made some arrangement with the organiser about her entry & after a lavish spoken intro, a spotlight highlighted her entry to huge applause- Barbara was a local hero after all!
Older mudcat folk may recall ITV's Sunday Night at the London Palladium & the closing 'tableau' in the 60s??   Well one of our band wryly observed...
          'that stage'll torn roond in a minute'