It depends a lot on what you are talking about--many performers develop their best stage show after they have spent their time on the charts--I saw Isaac Hayes do one of the best shows I've ever seen, years after his recording career had bottomed out, and when, due to bad press from his legal and financial troubles, a lot of people thought of him as kind of a joke--On the other hand, I saw Robert Palmer at the peak of his chart success, and it was nothing to write home about--

If my memory serves me, Merle Travis (May his name ever shine like a star in the Heavens!) reached his greatest popularity as a stage many years after he had done the bulk of his recording and writing work--"craft" entertainers, the one's who develop and cultivate a skill, like playing guitar or singing, tend to get better as the years go by, regardless of the status of their "career", personality entertainers--