NASHVILLE:

Country music’s “Redneck Woman” promises to keep her can of Skoal in her back pocket from now on. Tennessee’s attorney general had asked Gretchen Wilson not to pull out a can of smokeless tobacco during performances of her new song “Skoal Ring” because it glamorised tobacco use. A warning letter said the routine might violate the 1998 tobacco settlement, which forbids tobacco ads targeting young people. Attorney General Paul Summers said the singer’s representative apologised and said Wilson would not use the Skoal can in concert again. Wilson won wide acclaim and a Grammy with her debut single “Redneck Woman,” a defiant anthem of girl power. “Skoal Ring,” from her upcoming album, “All Jacked Up,” refers to the wear mark the tobacco cans leave in a blue jeans pocket. —AP