It was billed as a "worship and celebration," but the memorial service for Ray Charles was something more. It was a pretty fine show.

Willie Nelson, Glen Campbell, B.B. King and Stevie Wonder were among those to literally sing the praises of Charles at the two-hour service, held Friday at the landmark First AME Church in Los Angeles.

Charles, the era- and genre-defying music great, died last week at age 73.

More than 1,500 friends, performers and dignitaries were expected to see him off at the invitation-only service, broadcast live on local Los Angeles TV and nationwide on National Public Radio. As promised, the pews were packed with the likes of Little Richard, Johnny Mathis, even action star Steven Seagal.

Charles' son, the Reverend Robert Robinson Sr., set the tone for the event early by assuring mourners, "It's all right if you clap your hands, stomp your feet--give God some glory."

And so they did.

Nelson, dressed up in a black jacket and black T-shirt, offered a choked-up version of "Georgia on My Mind," a hit for both him and Charles, and joked about how his old, sight-challenged pal always beat him at chess--because Charles insisted on playing in the dark.

Campbell, looking no worse for recently being sentenced to 10 days in jail, played and sang the traditional "Where Could I Go, but the Lord."

King, ailing from "bad knees, a bad back...and a bad head," broke down while recounting tales of his long friendship with Charles--seems Charles liked to play games in the dark with him, too. Later, he and his guitar, Lucille, rallied to perform the King-penned tune "Please Accept My Love."

Wonder talked about how friends would tell him as a youth that he should listen to Ray Charles' music because the star was blind like him.

"I said, no, he's just great," said Wonder, who later brought the service to its collective feet with the gospel-tinged tune "I Won't Complain."

Clint Eastwood, a jazz aficionado and friend of Charles, addressed the service and gamely tried to go for a mood-lightening sitcom reference. "I'm here to join the chorus to praise Ray," the Oscar winner said. "Everybody loves Ray."

Eastwood closed his remarks with these simple and heartfelt words: "I am very, very proud to have been his friend."

Actress Cicely Tyson spoke of how she was awakened on the morning of June 10--the day Charles died--by his iconic rendition of "America the Beautiful."

"There will never be another," Tyson said. "Through his darkness, he enlightened and brightened our lives."

Current jazz great Wynton Marsalis helped bring the service to a close with two numbers on his trumpet, the second getting the hand-clapping and foot-stomping going in full force.

Billy Preston, like Charles, a singer and keyboard standout, was to perform, as well, but was said to have been barred from attending by his doctors at L.A.'s Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he is hospitalized. Preston, long ailing from kidney disease, sent his love and prayers by proxy.

Former President Clinton sent his regards via a letter, read by master of ceremonies Joe Adams: "His energy onstage was electrifying, and his performances were second to none," Clinton said. "Ray leaves behind an incredible legacy as a singer, songwriter and pianist, and his soulful voice will forever live in our hearts and our minds."

Producer Quincy Jones also was unable to attend, currently half a world away in Russia. In his place, he sent a song request: Ray Charles' version of "My Buddy."

The record was played, as were Charles' classic "America the Beautiful" rendering and a new duet of "Over the Rainbow" with Mathis, a selection to be featured on his upcoming posthumous release, Genius Loves Company, due out Aug. 31.

The numbers earned Charles the final standing ovations of a career that spanned nearly 60 years.

TV cameras cut away from the service after briefly catching a glimpse of Charles in the casket opened for mourners to file past. A funeral procession left the church and paused briefly at Charles' landmark L.A. studios. The burial followed at Inglewood Cemetery.

"Good night, Ray, good night," the Reverend Cecil Murray said, before imploring the audience to give Charles another 15 seconds of their undivided applause. "We'll see you in the morning."