Background
Chernoff was born in August 1950 and was raised in Cincinnati in the 1950s and 1960s as part of one of the very few Messianic households.
Chernoff was born in August 1950 and was raised in Cincinnati in the 1950s and 1960s as part of one of the very few Messianic households.
In 1972, the year he graduated from university, he formed the group Lamb.
Chernoff had been raised on hit parade music and at 16 he found he had a gift for writing songs. He played keyboards in a five-man band that became popular at churches, youth rallies and other community events throughout his teens. Lamb, whose music soon came to be known as simply Messianic Music, quickly became one of the premier groups of the new movement that was sweeping the country.
Recording on national labels, as well as their own independent imprint, Lamb recorded eight studio albums and two live albums over two decades.
With Lamb’s break-up in 1992, Joel focused his energies on several prominent organizations within the Messianic Jewish movement. In 1996, a charitable organization, the MJAA Joseph Project, was founded.
Chernoff chairs the Project, which provides food, clothing, and other necessities to poverty-stricken Israelis. As of 2005, Lamb has re-formed, with fellow Messianic artist Ted Pearce.
Joel"s daughter, Sharon Wilbur (née Chernoff), is also a singer and has put out two CDs entitled "You"re My Heart" and "Mercy Calling." She was a contestant on Season 8 (2009) of American Idol and passed through to Hollywood after her audition in Jacksonville, Florida, but was eliminated.
