I have a question that I am interested in feedback on. Have there ever been any folkies or fingerpickers who've developed a serious following solely through album/CD releases vs. live performances to "encourage" CD sales?

I realize that live performances are almost a must in order to get your name "out there" but I would be interested to know if anyone has ever done this successfully. In other words, not even at the onset of their career did they even perform live as a featured act. Just cranked out CDs, people bought them, talked and speculated about the artist and the artist remained enigmatic.