I'd say Bob would not regard himself as a 'performer' at all but rather as a part of the tradition of music, where he never lost his place in it- with not much time for the 'folk' aspect of the music.

Whether he as 'successful' or not is irrelevant- he did influence a lot of people, and has done festivals & folk clubs where asked, but his
heart has always been in a wider range of music, old and new, and his repertoire supports that view.