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 "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" and "House of the Rising Sun". The group featured singer Leroy Gómez from 1977 until 1978 and singer Jimmy Goings from 1978 until 1983, when the group disbanded. 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 "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.