Editing Howlin' Wolf (section)

==Personal life==
Burnett was noted for his disciplined approach to his personal finances. Having already achieved a measure of success in Memphis, he described himself as "the onliest one to drive himself up from the Delta" to Chicago, which he did, in his own car on the [[U.S. Route 61|Blues Highway]] and with $4,000 in his pocket, a rare distinction for a black bluesman of the time. Although functionally illiterate into his forties, Burnett eventually returned to school, first to earn a [[General Educational Development]] (GED) diploma and later to study accounting and other business courses to help manage his career.

Burnett met his future wife, Lillie Handley (1925–2001), when she attended one of his performances at a Chicago club. She and her family were urban and educated and were not involved in what was considered the unsavory world of blues musicians. Nevertheless, he was attracted to her as soon as he saw her in the audience. He immediately pursued her and won her over. According to those who knew them, the couple remained deeply in love until his death. Together, they raised two daughters Betty and Barbara, Lillie's daughters from an earlier relationship. West Coast rapper [[Skeme]] is his great nephew, who was born 14 years after his death.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

After he married Lillie, who was able to manage his professional finances, he was so financially successful that he was able to offer band members not only a decent salary but benefits such as health insurance.  This enabled him to hire his pick of available musicians and keep his band one of the best around. According to his stepdaughters, he was never financially extravagant (for instance, he drove a [[Pontiac (automobile)|Pontiac]] station wagon rather than a more expensive, flashy car).<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://www.sunrecords.com/artists/howlin-wolf|title=Howlin' Wolf – Sun Record Company|website=Sunrecords.com|access-date=January 30, 2019}}</ref>

=== Health ===
Burnett's health began declining in the late 1960s. He suffered his first heart attack in 1969 as he and Hubert Sumlin were traveling to a show at [[University of Chicago]]. He fell against the dashboard of the car he was riding in, and Sumlin, who was driving, pulled over and grabbed a two-by-four piece of wood that was lying in the road. Sumlin then rammed the wood into Burnett's back, which kick-started his heart.<ref name="Life and Times of Howlin' Wolf"/> Three weeks later, while he was in Toronto for a gig, Burnett suffered additional heart and kidney problems, but refused an operation recommended by doctors, telling his wife that "he needed to keep working".<ref name="Howlin' Wolf, 1910-1976"/>

In 1970, Burnett was involved in a serious car accident that sent him flying through the windshield, which caused extensive damage to his kidneys. For the rest of his life, he received dialysis treatments every three days, which wife Lillie administered.<ref name="Wolf Biography">{{cite web |last=Hoffman |first=Mark |title=Howlin' Wolf Biography, Part 3 |url=http://www.howlinwolf.com/articles/bio_3.htm |date=July 18, 2012 |website=Howlinwolf.com |access-date=September 8, 2022}}</ref> In May that same year, while he was in the United Kingdom to record ''The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions'', his health problems worsened. A year later, Burnett suffered another heart attack, and his kidneys had failed. He also began suffering from high blood pressure. By May 1973, Burnett was back performing again.<ref name="Howlin' Wolf, 1910-1976"/> The bandleader, Eddie Shaw, was so concerned for Burnett's health that he limited him to performing six songs per concert.