Santa Esmeralda is a U.S./French Disco group formed in the 1970s; perhaps best known for their hit disco remakes of the 1960s hits "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" and "House of the Rising Sun". The group featured original lead singer Leroy Gómez in 1977 & 1978, singer Jimmy Goings from 1979 until 1983, and once again original lead singer Leroy Gómez from the 1990s to this day.
Santa Esmeralda was formed in 1977 by French producers Nicolas Skorsky and Jean Manuel de Scarano; songwriters who had launched their own label with the aim of producing artists who would record their compositions. Upon meeting singer Leroy Gómez in Paris, the duo recruited him for the group's first record "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" which debuted on the independent French label, Fauves Puma. A sudden success in Europe, the record was picked up for worldwide distribution by Casablanca Records.
"Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood was originally written in 1964 for Nina Simone, her version had failed to chart, and the song was picked up by rock group The Animals the following year. The essential nature of the song is Latin and flamenco, which combined with that urgency lent itself to the disco sensibility in the 1970s. The song became a hit all over again, first topping the U.S. Disco chart and then matching the #15 peak of The Animals' version on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified gold. The flip side of the record featured the love ballad "You're My Everything" which became a radio request song and received airplay, even though the song never charted. Despite the success of the record, Gomez did not record any subsequent record with Santa Esmeralda's original production team.
Santa Esmeralda also toured extensively throughout the world. During this time the live band included musicians Leroy Gomez (Vocals), Tony Baker (guitar), Mick Valentino (guitar), Charlie Magarian (bass), Jimmy Sanchez (drums), Tom Poole (trumpet) and Reggie Graham (keyboards).
In 2011, footage of the band's performance at the Vina del Mar International Song Festival, Chile, in 1979 was released on DVD by the European company Soul Collectors.
Santa Esmeralda (with Leroy Gómez) is still touring throughout the world (EEG - Europolis Entertainment Group).
The group re-entered the popular consciousness in 2003 when "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" appeared on the soundtrack to the first volume of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill.
