LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Bob Dylan, Keith Richards, Jerry Lee Lewis, Kid Rock and Merle Haggard were among the "outlaws and angels" that Willie Nelson brought out on Wednesday for his third annual concert special on USA Network.

During a three-hour show, where country music took a back seat to gospel, soul, reggae, jazz and rockabilly, the black-clad Nelson let his many guests take the spotlight. He even left the stage when Toots Hibbert and Ben Harper sang the former's reggae classic "Pressure Drop" together.

The Wiltern Theater event, dubbed "Willie Nelson & Friends: Outlaws and Angels," will air as a two-hour special on Memorial Day, Monday, May 31 at 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT).

Other guests included Al Green, Shelby Lynne, Rickie Lee Jones, Carole King, Toby Keith, Lucinda Williams, Lee Ann Womack, the Holmes Brothers, and Los Lonely Boys.

Dylan was among the early performers, singing with Nelson on "You Win Again," a Hank Williams song available on bootleg from Dylan's "Basement Tapes" sessions in the late 1960s.

Richards showed up at the end for "We Had It All," a ballad he covered during sessions for the Rolling Stones' 1980 album Emotional Rescue," and also available on bootleg. He strummed along when Lewis performed "Trouble in Mind" (with Nelson) and "Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On" (with Kid Rock).

"There is that legendary mystery thing that those guys carry around with them, and that's always good, and they never disappoint you," Nelson said of Dylan and Richards during an interview aboard his tour bus before the show. "Jerry Lee Lewis, same way. Merle Haggard. These guys are the real thing."

During rehearsals, Lewis, Nelson and Richards tried to work up a version of "Honky Tonk Women," but Lewis appeared unfamiliar with the song, and it was dropped from the schedule.

Other highlights from the show included Nelson performing "Raining in My Heart" with Green, "Poncho and Lefty" (twice) with Haggard, "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" with King, and "Stormy Weather" with Lynne.